ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Arrest Warrants

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many suspects the Crown Prosecution Service has successfully applied to have returned to the UK under a European arrest warrant in each of the last five years; and with what offence each suspect was charged.

Mark Harper: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Home Department.
	The European arrest warrant (EAW) scheme is managed by the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA); although policy oversight is the responsibility of Home Office Ministers. I would refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement of 16 April 2013, Official Report, columns 28-29WS, which informed the House of an error SOCA has identified in the capture and reporting of information on the number of outgoing EAW (part 3) requests that have been executed since 2009-10. HM chief inspector of constabulary (HMCIC) has been asked to review SOCA data and will report back in mid May.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Scotland

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  with what external (a) organisations and (b) individuals her Department has engaged as part of the Scotland Analysis Programme; and what was discussed at such consultations;
	(2)  how many officials in her Department have been allocated to work on the Scotland Analysis Programme; and at what cost to the public purse;
	(3)  what meetings she and officials in her Department have had with the right hon. Member for Edinburgh South West as part of the Scotland Analysis Programme; and what was discussed at those meetings;
	(4)  what work her Department has commissioned from external consultants in relation to work on the Scotland Analysis Programme; which consultants were used; and at what cost to the public purse.

Michael Penning: Work on the Scotland Analysis programme is being carried out across Government by policy experts in relevant areas. There is a small team in the Treasury co-ordinating the programme.
	The Northern Ireland Office has not engaged with any external organisations or individuals as part of the Scotland Analysis programme, nor have Northern Ireland Office staff been allocated to work on the Scotland Analysis programme. Neither I, nor my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, nor officials from the Northern Ireland Office have had meetings with the right hon. Member for Edinburgh South West (Mr Darling) as part of the Scotland Analysis programme and the Northern Ireland Office has not commissioned any work from external consultants in relation to the programme.

WALES

Buildings

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the total running costs were for each building used, owned or rented in central London by his Department in each of the last three financial years.

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office owns one building in central London; the running costs for the building are set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial year Total running costs (£) 
			 2010-11 271,336.71 
			 2011-12 379,805.52 
			 2012-13 334,137.48

G4S

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the current level of expenditure by his Department is on contracts with G4S; and how much was spent by his Department on contracts with G4S in each year since 2008.

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office uses the services of G4S but has no direct contract with the contractor. As a small Government Department we use the buying power of larger Government Departments to procure services—in this case the Ministry of Justice.
	Through the Ministry of Justice contract with G4S, which began in April 2012, the Wales Office paid G4S £765.80 in financial year 2012-13.

Higher Education: Research

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had regarding research and development funding for universities in Wales.

David Jones: My ministerial team and I have regular and ongoing discussions with Welsh vice-chancellors and the Minister of State for Universities and Science. I also took the opportunity during a recent visit to South East Asia to highlight opportunities for Welsh higher education institutions with Ministers at the South-East Asian Ministers of Education Organisation conference in Vietnam and academics in Hong Kong.
	My recent visit to Swansea University, and meetings with senior academics there, highlighted the great contribution that UK Government funding is making to the higher education sector in Wales.

Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012

Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps his Department is taking to implement the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 in its procurement procedures.

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office does not directly procure services but uses the buying power of larger Government Departments, such as the Ministry of Justice, who have issued guidance on implementation and implications of the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 to all staff.

Publications

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department spent on subscriptions to academic journals published by (a) Reed-Elsevier, (b) Wiley-Blackwell, (c) Springer and (d) any other academic publisher in each of the last five years.

Stephen Crabb: Nil. The Wales Office has not in the last five years subscribed to any academic publications.

SCOTLAND

Scottish Business Board

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when the Scottish Business Board last met; and if he will place the papers from the meeting in the Library.

Michael Moore: The Scottish Business Board last met on Monday 25 March 2013. I have arranged for a copy of the relevant papers and the minutes of the meeting to be placed in the Library.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Asylum: Finance

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much Sodexo distributed through the Azure card in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13; and how much was allocated to Sodexo for the administration of the Azure card scheme in each such year.

Mark Harper: In 2011-12, the Department distributed £6.3 million to failed asylum seekers through the Azure card. Equivalent audited figures for 2012-13 will be available once the UK Border Agency's annual resource accounts for 2012-13 are published later this year.
	The Department is unable to disclose information about payments under the terms of this contract on the grounds of commercial confidentiality.

Asylum: Finance

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the (a) potential merits and (b) practicability of permitting the use of Azure cards for bus travel.

Mark Harper: No detailed assessment has been made. Azure card holders are accommodated within reasonable walking distance of shops where they can use their card to buy food and other essential items. Bus tickets or taxis are provided for other essential journeys, for example medical appointments.

British Nationality

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on children born before 1 July 2006 being permitted to acquire UK citizenship on the basis of their father's UK nationality, where the father is not married to the child's mother, and the mother is not a UK national, but residing in the UK.

Mark Harper: If the child was born in the UK he or she will be a British citizen if the mother was settled in the UK at the time of the birth.
	Children born overseas to unmarried British fathers before 1 July 2006 were unable to acquire citizenship by descent from their father. However, the Home Office will register such people as British citizens if an application is made before their 18th birthday.
	Further guidance can be found at chapter 9 paragraph 9.9 of the nationality guidance available on the Home Office website:
	http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/policyandlaw/nationalityinstructions/nichapter9/

Confiscation Orders

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asset confiscation orders have been made under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 in each year since 2008; what the value was of assets subject to such orders; and what amount of assets were confiscated in each such year.

Jeremy Browne: Management information from the Joint Asset Recovery Database relating to confiscation orders made under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 is as follows:
	
		
			  Number of confiscation orders made Value of confiscation orders made (£ million) Gross value of confiscation orders enforced (£ million) 
			 2008-09 5,382 145.5 62.0 
			 2009-10 5,335 134.6 64.2 
			 2010-11 6,231 195.4 74.5 
			 2011-12 6,150 161.6 104.2 
			 2012-13 6,227 277.5 108.3

Crimes against Property

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people of each age group were (a) arrested and (b) given antisocial behaviour orders on charges of vandalism and damage to property in each of the last five years.

Jeremy Browne: Arrests data for England and Wales are collected by the Home Office on the basis of aggregated age and offence groupings, and are published on an annual basis in the National Statistics series ‘Police Powers and Procedures’. Data currently available cover the period up to the financial year 2011-12 and are included in the latest internet-only release, which is available in the Library of the House and from the following link via:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/police-powers-and-procedures-in-england-and-wales-201112
	Available data relate to the number of persons arrested for the criminal damage offence grouping, and are given in the following table.
	Data on antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOS) are collected by the Ministry of Justice. Data showing the number of ASBOs issued and breached in each year, broken down by Criminal Justice System area and court centre area, can be accessed via the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/anti-social-behaviour-order-statistics-england-and-wales-2011-2
	Antisocial behaviour (ASB) can encompass a very wide range of behaviours. The specific nature of and circumstances surrounding the ASB which resulted in an antisocial behaviour order (ASBO) being issued is recorded in individual case files held by courts.
	However, due to their size and complexity, not all the details contained within these files are reported to the Ministry of Justice as part of the ASBO data collection. The Ministry of Justice report, therefore, that it is not possible to ascertain the specific reasons for an ASBO being issued except through examination of individual courts files, which could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 Number of persons arrested for criminal damage offences, by age group, England and Wales 2007-08 to 2011-12 
			 Age group 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Under 10 years 34 11 1 2 10 
			 10 to 17 years 52,452 41,875 33,249 27,034 19,741 
			 18 to 20 years 26,616 24,782 21,981 20,091 15,933 
			 21 years and over 73,397 73,311 68,616 65,903 59,784 
			 Age unknown 391 341 128 113 50 
			 Total 152,890 140,320 123,975 113,143 95,518

Crimes of Violence

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many reports of assault with intent to rob are recorded daily in each region of the UK.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson dated May 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions asking the Secretary of State for the Home Department for the number of reported assaults with intent to rob recorded daily in each region of the UK.
	Information is not centrally available specifically for incidents of assaults with intent to rob. However, the offence of robbery is defined as 'an offence in which force or the threat of force is used either during or immediately prior to a theft or attempted theft' and would include the incidents that you have requested figures for. It will also include incidents where no actual assault took place, for example where the victim was threatened with assault.
	The latest published figures for the 2012 calendar year show that 67,462 robberies were recorded
	by police forces in England and Wales. It is possible to equate this to a crude daily average of 185 per day. The table below shows the number of robberies and the equivalent number per day recorded in each region in England and Wales.
	
		
			 Region Number of robbery offences 1 January to 31 December 2012 Crude daily average 
			 North East Region 853 2 
			 North West Region 6,217 17 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber Region 3,656 10 
			 East Midlands Region 3,005 8 
			 West Midlands Region 6,864 19 
			 East of England Region 3,260 9 
			 London Region 36,322 100 
			 South East Region 4,020 11 
			 South West Region 1,939 5 
			    
			 England 66,136 181 
			    
			 Wales 760 2 
			    
			 British Transport Police 566 2 
			    
			 England and Wales 67,462 185 
		
	
	These data are available in the 'Police force area data tables—Crime in England and Wales, year ending December 2012' available here:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-300972
	Crime statistics published by the ONS cover England and Wales only. Crime data for Scotland are published at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Crime-Justice and data for
	Northern Ireland are published at:
	http://www.psni.police.uk/index/updates/updates_statistics/update_crime_statistics.htm.

Human Trafficking

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what changes there will be to the National Referral Mechanism for human trafficking victims after the UK Border Agency is abolished.

Mark Harper: There will be no change to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) for human trafficking victims now that the operational functions of the former UK Border Agency have transferred into the core Home Office. UK Visas and Immigration and Immigration Enforcement will be Competent Authorities alongside the UK Human Trafficking Centre (UKHTC) and their staff will consider referrals on potential victims of trafficking just as they did in the former UK Border Agency. To enhance this process the Home Office is piloting an NRM Hub which will provide a centre of expertise in making NRM decisions.

Human Trafficking Ministerial Group

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which Ministers attended meetings of the Interdepartmental Ministerial Group on Human Trafficking between January 2011 and April 2013.

Mark Harper: The table shows which Ministers attended meetings of the Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group in the period specified.
	
		
			 Ministers attending the Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group between January 2011 and April 2013 
			 Attendees Title 
			 Meeting date: 11 March 2013  
			 Mark Harper MP Minister for Immigration (Chair) 
			 Oliver Heald QC MP Solicitor-General 
			 Helen Grant MP Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Victims and the Courts and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Equalities 
			 David Ford MLA Minister of Justice, Northern Ireland Executive 
			 Jo Swinson MP Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Employment Relations, Consumer and Postal Affairs 
			 Carl Sargeant AM Minister for Social Justice and Local Government, Welsh Assembly Government 
			 Baroness Randerson Wales Office, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State 
			   
			 Meeting date: 17 September 2012  
			 Mark Harper MP Minister for Immigration (Chair) 
			 Jeremy Browne MP Minister of State for Crime Prevention 
			 Helen Grant MP Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Victims and the Courts and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Equalities 
			 Anna Soubry MP Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health 
			 David Ford MLA Minister of Justice, Northern Ireland Executive 
			 Kenny MacAskill MSP Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Scottish Executive 
			 Edward Timpson MP Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children 
			   
			 Meeting date: 17 April 2012  
			 Damian Green MP Minister for Immigration (Chair) 
			 Tim Loughton MP Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families 
			 Jeremy Browne MP Minister of State, FCO 
			 Crispin Blunt MP Minister for Justice 
			 Baroness Hanham MP Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities 
			 David Jones MP Secretary of State for Wales 
			 David Ford MLA Minister of Justice, Northern Ireland Executive 
			   
			 Meeting date: 11 October 2011  
			 Damian Green MP Minister for Immigration (Chair) 
			 Lord Wallace of Tankerness Advocate General for Scotland 
			 Baroness Hanham MP Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities 
			 Jeremy Browne MP Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office 
			 David Jones MP Secretary of State for Wales 
			 Stephen O’Brien MP Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development 
			   
			 Meeting date: 17 February 2011  
			 Damian Green MP Minister for Immigration (Chair) 
			 Crispin Blunt MP Minister for Justice 
		
	
	
		
			 Kenny MacAskill MSP Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Scottish Executive 
			 Edward Garnier QC MP Solicitor-General 
			 Tim Loughton MP Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families 
			 David Jones MP Secretary of State for Wales 
			 Lynne Featherstone MP Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Equalities and Criminal Information

Human Trafficking: Lichfield

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of people subject to human trafficking in (a) Lichfield constituency and (b) the smallest area including Lichfield constituency for which data are available.

Mark Harper: Data on identified victims of human trafficking are not collected at constituency level.
	The location where a victim is identified may not be the same as where the exploitation occurred. In 2012 one potential victim of trafficking was referred to the National Referral Mechanism by local authorities in Staffordshire.
	The UK Human Trafficking Centre publishes quarterly statistical data from the National Referral Mechanism on its website:
	http://www.soca.gov.uk/about-soca/about-the-ukhtc/national-referral-mechanism/statistics

Immigration: Married People

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to paragraph 18 (b) of Appendix FM-SE (Family members—specified evidence to the UK Border Agency's Immigration Rules) whether the on-target earnings an applicant's spouse is expected to earn by way of commission in a job that will start within three months of arrival will be taken into account to meet the financial requirement.

Mark Harper: Under the Immigration Rules in Appendix FM-SE earnings an applicant's spouse may earn by way of commission in a job that will start within three months of arrival in the UK cannot be counted under the financial requirement in a spouse visa application.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she intends to reply to the letter to her dated 28 March 2013 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr Mohammed Butt and Mrs Raheela Kavsar.

Mark Harper: I wrote to the right hon. Member on 9 May 2013.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  when she intends to reply to the letter to the Minister for Immigration dated 15 March 2013 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr Muhammad Tausif;
	(2)  when she intends to reply to the letter to her dated 18 March 2013 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr S. Ahmed;
	(3)  when she intends to reply to the letter to the Minister for Immigration dated 18 March 2013 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Ms A. Rose;
	(4)  when she intends to reply to the letter to her dated 4 March 2013 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr K. Jobanputra.

Mark Harper: I wrote to the right hon. Member on 7 May 2013.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she intends to reply to the letter to her dated 25 March 2013 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs Francisca Blandisva Matiza.

Mark Harper: I wrote to the right hon. Member on 7 May 2013.

Members: Correspondence

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects that the hon. Member for Warley will receive a reply to his letter of 8 February 2013 to the UK Border Agency regarding the case of Baljinder Singh Bhatia.

Mark Harper: A Home Office senior manager wrote to the right hon. Member on 9 May 2013.

Members: Correspondence

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects that the hon. Member for Warley will receive a reply to his letter of 19 March 2013 to the UK Border Agency regarding the case of Mr Anthony Anderson.

Mark Harper: The Home Office replied to the right hon. Member on 9 May 2013.

Members: Correspondence

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects that the hon. Member for Warley will receive a reply to his letter of 14 February 2013 to the UK Border Agency regarding the case of Mr Hardip Singh.

Mark Harper: The Home Office replied to the right hon. Member on 9 May 2013.

UK Border Agency

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will arrange for the hon. Member for Walsall North to receive a reply to his letter to the chief executive, UK Border Agency of 21 March 2013 on behalf of a constituent, CTS ref B8512/13.

Mark Harper: The Home Office replied to the hon. Member on 10 May 2013.

UK Border Agency

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will arrange for the hon. Member for Walsall North to receive a reply to his letter to the chief executive of the UK Border Agency of 28 March 2013 on behalf of a constituent, ref H1162268.

Mark Harper: The interim director general of UK Visas and Immigration will write to the hon. Member separately about this case.

PRIME MINISTER

Scotland

Pete Wishart: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  with which external (a) organisations and (b) individuals he has engaged as part of the Scotland Analysis Programme; and what was discussed at such consultations;
	(2)  how many members of his staff have been allocated to work on the Scotland Analysis Programme; and at what cost to the public purse;
	(3)  what meetings he and members of his staff have had with the right hon. Member for Edinburgh South West as part of the Scotland Analysis Programme; and what was discussed at those meetings;
	(4)  what work he has commissioned from external consultants in relation to work on the Scotland Analysis Programme; which consultants were used; and at what cost to the public purse.

David Cameron: Work on the Scotland Analysis Programme is being carried out across Government by policy experts in relevant areas. A small team in HM Treasury is co-ordinating the programme. The cost of carrying out the work is being funded from existing departmental budgets in the normal way. Details of my meetings with external organisations can be found on the Cabinet Office website. My Office has not commissioned work from any external consultants.

TRANSPORT

Aircraft: Air Conditioning

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with representatives of trades unions regarding aircraft cabin air contamination.

Simon Burns: There have been no recent discussions with trades unions about aircraft cabin air.

Enfield

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much funding (a) his Department and (b) each of the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible has allocated to the London Borough of Enfield in each of the last five years.

Norman Baker: In each of the last five years the following payments have been made by the Department for Transport to the London Borough of Enfield:
	
		
			 £ million 
			  2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 
			 Street lighting PFI project 1.9 1.9 1.9 1.9 1.9 
			 Potholes funding (Budget 2011) — — 0.4 — — 
		
	
	The Department does not give highways maintenance or integrated transport block funding to London Boroughs. The Department's non-departmental public bodies do not fund local authorities.
	The Department does provide funding to Transport for London (TfL), which in turn allocates funding to London Boroughs, as part of TfL's Local Implementation Plan Fund, to invest in projects that support the Mayor's Transport Strategy.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when officials of his Department were first informed of the 40 per cent underestimate by HS2 of the cost of planned works at Euston Station.

Simon Burns: Officials at the Department were informed in December 2012 that HS2 Ltd were considering an alternative scheme for Euston station that could be delivered more efficiently with less disruption than the consulted scheme.
	The Department will shortly be publishing a draft Environmental Statement, and an associated consultation on a limited number of design changes, including Euston station. The Secretary of State for Transport is keen to understand stakeholders' views through this consultation, prior to making a final decision on the contents of the Hybrid Bill in November this year.

Motor Vehicles: Testing

Robert Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the Government's position was on the removal of the exemption of mobile cranes from undergoing roadworthiness testing in recent discussions at the EU Council of Ministers when negotiating a Council position on the Commission's proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on periodic roadworthiness tests for motor vehicles and their trailers and repealing Directive 2009/40/EC.

Stephen Hammond: The UK has made no specific representations related to the scope of roadworthiness tests in respect of mobile cranes during the negotiations of the Council of Ministers position on the European Commission's proposals.

Network Rail

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  whether Network Rail is permitted to submit bids to operate rail passenger services;
	(2)  whether Network Rail's current licences allow it to submit bids to operate rail passenger services; and what changes are needed to the licensing process that would be required to permit Network Rail to submit such bids.

Simon Burns: With minor exceptions (for example the Royal Train and track maintenance vehicles), Network Rail Infrastructure Limited (the network operator) is prohibited under its licence from having interests in train operations or engaging in activities outside network management except in so far as the ORR consents. Network Rail would also need to comply with EU law requirements for independence between the infrastructure manager and train operators, for example, in relation to the infrastructure manager's charging functions and its role in allocating capacity.
	These considerations do not prevent Network Rail from co-operating closely with train operators to generate efficiencies, as for example with the Wessex alliance with South West Trains. They would however make it difficult for Network Rail to bid for a franchise given the way it is currently constituted.

Polyisobutene

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions his Department has had with the International Maritime Organisation regarding the classification of polyisobutene.

Stephen Hammond: Officials have had initial, informal discussions with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretariat on the classification of polyisobutylene (PIB) following the recent incidents on the South Coast. Investigations are ongoing and once the reasons for the incidents are established, we will if appropriate formally approach the IMO to review the carriage requirements for polyisobutylene.

Rail Franchise Advisory Panel

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what input the Rail Franchise Advisory Panel will have on the content of contracts to be tendered by his Department for rail passenger services on the (a) East Coast Main, (b) Essex Thameside and (c) Thameslink lines.

Simon Burns: In line with their terms of reference, published March 2013, which can be found on the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/170571/rail-franchise-advisory-panel-tor.pdf
	the advisory panel will perform an advisory and assurance role supporting both the Secretary of State and Franchising Director as the franchising programme progresses. The advisory panel will not be making decisions in relation to-franchise awards or the content of contracts.

Railways

Mark Spencer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the value of conversion of former coal transportation lines to passenger transportation lines.

Simon Burns: The Department has not made any assessment of the value of the conversion of any former colliery line to a passenger line. It would be for the local transport authority to consider whether using former colliery lines for this purpose is the best way to meet local transport needs.

Railways: Franchises

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the deadline is for completing negotiations with the incumbent franchisee for an extended rail passenger service contract on the (a) Essex Thameside, (b) Thameslink, (c) Inter City West Coast, (d) Great Western, (e) Greater Anglia, (f) Northern, (g) London Midland, (h) East Midlands and (i) South Eastern line; and what the (i) projected cost and (ii) cost to date is of the negotiations in each instance.

Simon Burns: All negotiations need to be completed ahead of the end of the franchises, which are currently:
	(a) 26 May 2013 for c2c (Essex Thameside);
	(b) 1 April 2014 for First Capital Connect (Thameslink);
	(c) 9 November 2014 for Virgin Trains (Intercity West Coast);
	(d) 13 October 2013 for First Great Western (Great Western);
	(e) 20 July 2014 for Greater Anglia (Greater Anglia);
	(f) 1 April 2014 for Northern (Northern);
	(g) 20 September 2015 for London Midland (London Midland);
	(h) 1 April 2015 for East Midlands Trains (East Midlands); and
	(i) 12 October 2014 for South Eastern (South Eastern).
	The cost to the Department of resourcing the negotiations in each instance is not expected to exceed £1 million. The costs to the Department of resourcing the negotiations as of the end of March 2013 were:
	(a) £146,000 for c2c (Essex Thameside);
	(b) £0 for First Capital Connect (Thameslink);
	(c) £0 for Virgin Trains (InterCity West Coast);
	(d) £124,000 for First Great Western (Great Western);
	(e) £0 for Greater Anglia (Greater Anglia);
	(f) £0 for Northern (Northern);
	(g) £0 for London Midland (London Midland);
	(h) £0 for East Midlands Trains (East Midlands); and
	(i) £0 for South Eastern (South Eastern).

Railways: Franchises

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to protect the existing (a) collective bargaining rights and (b) contracts of employment for staff during negotiations with the incumbent franchisee for an extended rail passenger service contract on the (i) Essex Thameside, (ii) Thameslink, (iii) Inter City West Coast, (iv) Great Western, (v) Greater Anglia, (vi) Northern, (vii) London Midland, (viii) East Midlands and (ix) South Eastern line; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: Terms and conditions of employment are a matter for the incumbent franchise operators, as employers. The move from existing franchise agreements to directly awarded contracts for an extended term will not, in and of itself, affect employees' rights or contracts of employment, nor will this involve a transfer of staff to a new employer. If negotiations with any incumbent operator were not to succeed, Directly Operated Railways may need to step in and operate services—if this were to happen there would be a TUPE transfer of employees on their current terms and conditions. Franchise agreements also contain “last 12 months” restrictions on changes to staff terms and conditions or staff numbers in the final year of a franchise without the Secretary of State's consent.

Railways: Veterans

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of extending the use of the HM Forces Railcard to all veterans of the UK Armed Forces.

Norman Baker: The Department incurs no direct costs from the HM Forces Railcard and therefore no estimate has been made of the costs associated with an extension to include ex-service personnel. The HM Forces Railcard is a concession granted by the Association of Train Operating Companies (TOCs). Eligibility for the Railcard is governed by a contract between the Train Operating Companies and the Ministry of Defence, and any extension of the eligibility criteria to include former service personnel would require the full consent of the TOCs.

Rescue Services: Belfast

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions the Maritime Recue Co-ordination Centre, Belfast was staffed at below risk-assessed levels in April 2013.

Stephen Hammond: Belfast Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) was staffed at below risk assessed levels in April 2013 on 48 occasions out of 60 shifts.
	These situations are mitigated by ‘MRCC pairing’ where each MRCC is connected to at least one other MRCC which is available to provide mutual support. In respect of Belfast MRCC mutual support is available through a fixed link from Stornoway MRCC and dial up links from the MRCCs at Shetland, Aberdeen, Liverpool or Holyhead.

Rescue Services: Stornoway

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre, Stornoway was staffed at below risk-assessed levels in April 2013.

Stephen Hammond: Stornoway Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) was staffed at below risk assessed levels in April 2013 on seven occasions out of 60 shifts.
	These situations are mitigated by ‘MRCC pairing’ where each MRCC is connected to at least one other MRCC which is available to provide mutual support. In respect of Stornoway MRCC mutual support is available through a fixed link from Belfast MRCC and dial up links from the MRCCs at Shetland or Aberdeen.

Roads: Bassetlaw

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many fatalities there have been as a result of road traffic accidents involving (a) motorcyclists, (b) cyclists and (c) pedestrians in Bassetlaw constituency in the last five years.

Stephen Hammond: In the last five years in Bassetlaw constituency there have been the following numbers of fatalities in road traffic accidents:
	
		
			  Number of fatalities in accidents involving 
			  Motorcyclists Cyclists Pedestrians 
			 2007 0 0 2 
			 2008 3 0 3 
			 2009 4 0 0 
			 2010 0 1 0 
			 2011 2 0 2 
			 Total 9 1 7 
			 Note: Uses constituency boundary as at 2010. 
		
	
	Data for 2012 will be available in June 2013.

Shipping

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of seafarer (a) ratings and (b) officers working on vessels currently registered under the flags of category 1 members of the Red Ensign Group are (i) UK, (ii) EU and (iii) non-EEA nationals.

Stephen Hammond: Information on the proportion of seafarer ratings and officers working on vessels registered on the flags of the category 1 members of the Red Ensign Group (REG) other than the UK (Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Gibraltar and the Isle of Man), is not held by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). Records may be maintained separately by the individual category 1 administrations.
	The Maritime and Coastguard Agency does however maintain a record of certificates of competency that it issues to (a) UK nationals, (b) EU nationals, (c) Red Ensign Group nationals and (d) non EU nationals. This information is provided in the table below detailing the number of certificates of competency issued to personnel working on board all types of vessels including deck, engine, yachts, tugs and inshore craft during 2011 and 2012.
	
		
			  Number of certificates issued 
			 Seafarer nationality 2011 2012 
			 UK nationals 1,275 1,343 
			 Non UK nationals 5,938 2,326 
			 Total 7,213 3,669 
			    
			 Red Ensign nationals (including UK national) 1,276 1,344 
			 Non Red Ensign nationals 5,937 2,325 
			 Total 7,213 3,669 
			    
			 EU nationals (including UK national) 2,843 1,970 
			 Non EU nationals 4,370 1,699 
			 Total 7,213 3,669

Shipping: Conditions of Employment

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  whether vessels registered with members of the Red Ensign Group are considered to be registered under the UK flag for the purposes of applying the obligations of the Maritime Labour Convention 2006; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  when he expects to extend the provisions of the Maritime Labour Convention on (a) minimum age, (b) recruitment and placement services, (c) seafarers' employment agreements, (d) wages, (e) entitlement to leave, (f) repatriation, (g) seafarer compensation for ship's loss or foundering, (h) crew accommodation, (i) food and catering, (j) medical care, (k) shipowners' liability, (l) health and safety and (m) flag state and port state survey and certification to all members of the Red Ensign Group.

Stephen Hammond: No. Red Ensign Group Registers are separate from the UK register, and will have their own legislation implementing the MLC. When the United Kingdom is ready to ratify the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), ratification will be extended to those REG Administrations of either Category 1 or Category 2 which the UK is satisfied are compliant with the convention.

Shipping: Conditions of Employment

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the provisions of the Maritime Labour Convention on (a) minimum age, (b) recruitment and placement services, (c) seafarers' employment agreements, (d) wages, (e) entitlement to leave, (f) repatriation, (g) seafarer compensation for ship's loss or foundering, (h) crew accommodation, (i) food and catering, (j) medical care, (k) shipowners' liability, (l) health and safety and (m) flag state and port state survey and certification to come into effect in the UK.

Stephen Hammond: I expect the UK regulations implementing (a) to (l) to come into force on 20 August 2013, and the regulations implementing flag state and port state responsibilities to come into force by the end of July.

Shipping: Registration

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the Maritime and Coastguard Agency last audited the shipping register operated by each member of the Red Ensign group; what the outcome was in each instance; and when the next such audit is scheduled.

Stephen Hammond: The following table provides the dates of the last monitoring visits of the Red Ensign Group shipping registers by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, and the year of the next scheduled visit:
	
		
			 REG Administration Last visit dates Next scheduled visit 
			 Category 1 Registers   
			 Bermuda 19-21 February 2013 2014 
			 British Virgin Islands 25-27 March 2013 2016/17 
		
	
	
		
			 Cayman Islands 23-27 May 2011 2014/15 
			 Gibraltar 22-26 February 2010 2013/14 
			 Isle of Man 19-21 March 2012 2015/16 
			    
			 Category 2 Registers   
			 Anguilla 24-26 November 2009 2013/14 
			 Falkland Islands 5-7 February 2013 2016/17 
			 Guernsey 23-26 July 2012 2015/16 
			 Jersey 19-21 October 2011 2015/16 
			 Montserrat 1-5 November 2010 2014/15 
			 St Helena 11-13 March 2012 2016/17 
			 Turks and Caicos Islands 1-4 November 2010 2014/15 
		
	
	Information relating to the outcomes of these monitoring visits is commercial in confidence.

Thameslink Railway Line

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the likely timescale for the re-tendering of the Thameslink Rolling Stock Programme; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The Department intends to award the contract for Thameslink Rolling Stock under the existing procurement shortly.

Thameslink Railway Line

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the reasons are for the time taken to agree the signing of the Thameslink contract; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The Department intends to award the contract for Thameslink Rolling Stock shortly. Transactions of this size necessarily include a significant volume of both project and finance documentation. The Department is working with Siemens and Cross London Trains to finalise these arrangements.

Tonnage Tax

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many of the qualifying vessels for the tonnage tax scheme were registered under flags of members of the Red Ensign Group in each year since 2001-02.

Stephen Hammond: The tonnage tax scheme makes no direct requirement as to the country of registration of qualifying vessels. The identity of tonnage tax groups is tax confidential, and that confidentiality could be compromised by giving a breakdown by flag of the numbers of qualifying vessels in any year.

Transport Direct

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will discuss with Atos (a) making transportdirect.info more accessible for smartphones and (b) creating smartphone apps to access transportdirect.info.

Norman Baker: The Design, Build and Operate contract for the provision of Transport Direct by a consortium led by Atos expires at the end of 2013. I am currently considering the appropriate arrangements that should be put in place to provide the travelling public with high quality door-to-door information in the future. In the meantime it would not be in the public interest to commit any significant spend on new functionality until the service has migrated to the future arrangements.
	Access to services directly from smartphones or via smartphone applications will be considered as part of the future service provision.

Transport: Livestock

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the answer of 25 April 2013, Official Report, column 1072W, on transport: livestock, what discussions he has had with his European counterparts on the compatibility of port authorities being unable to utilise their discretion to refuse the export of live animals through their ports and Article 13 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union 2009.

Stephen Hammond: I have had no such discussions. It is clear that trade in live animals is lawful provided that animal welfare regulations are complied with, and it is appropriate that ports should accept all lawful traffic which they are equipped to handle, without discrimination.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Energy

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to improve the meeting of energy efficiency targets by energy companies.

Gregory Barker: Legal targets such as the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) are fundamentally a matter for the obliged energy companies. However, my Department is taking a number of steps to facilitate delivery, including:
	Ensuring that our Energy Saving Advice Service (ESAS) provides support to the companies in finding and verifying the eligibility of low income and vulnerable households under the ECO Affordable Warmth target. ESAS has provided over 8,000 verified leads to obligated suppliers for Affordable Warmth since the start of this year;
	Establishing a brokerage platform to provide a way for energy companies to purchase ECO cost-effective delivery and minimise overheads. To date, over £100 million of activity has been traded this way;
	Investing £13 million to facilitate partnerships between energy companies and the Core Cities pilot programmes.
	The Department continues to engage very closely with the companies to look at all ways in which it can provide assistance.

Energy Company Obligation

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what amount has been allocated through the Energy Company Obligation brokerage system to date.

Gregory Barker: Brokerage is a market based mechanism that allows obligated energy companies to buy compliance against their energy company obligation targets from green deal providers. The Government have no role in allocating, buying or selling contracts. The volumes of ECO traded every two weeks through brokerage can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/eco-brokerage-results

Energy Company Obligation

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what amount has been spent on the energy company obligation to date.

Gregory Barker: The energy company obligation places a carbon reduction target on the largest energy suppliers. How energy companies choose to deliver these targets is a commercial matter for them. DECC has not spent anything on delivery of the obligation to date.

Energy Company Obligation

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the energy company obligation, how many referrals have been made to suppliers to receive a minimum package of assistance in (a) Scotland, (b) England, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland.

Gregory Barker: The energy company obligation covers England, Scotland and Wales only.
	The Government-funded Energy Saving Advice Service refers consumers who live in England and Wales to the obligated energy suppliers for a minimum package of assistance under the affordable warmth obligation, following an eligibility check with the Department for Work and Pensions. As at 10 May 2013, 9,128 referrals had been made to the obligated suppliers since the service launched in January of this year.
	The Scottish Government have made separate arrangements with the Energy Saving Trust (Scotland) to provide a referral service and the UK Government do not hold those data.

Energy: Housing

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the comparative average annual energy costs of (a) off-grid households and (b) households connected to the mains gas grid in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12.

Gregory Barker: DECC does not hold data on average annual energy consumption and types of fuel use for off-grid households, and as such does not produce data on the energy costs of these households. Data from fuel components of the RETAIL PRICE INDEX show that the prices of gas, electricity, heating oil and coal and smokeless fuels were as follows between 2009 and 2012:
	
		
			  Gas Electricity Heating oil Coal and smokeless fuels 
			 2009 193.5 158.8 126.4 161.3 
			 2010 182.0 154.9 161.2 161.3 
			 2011 201.4 166.1 201.4 169.1 
			 2012 222.8 175.5 206.8 175.1 
		
	
	These data are shown in the form of an index, where costs in 2005 are set to 100, and all other years are shown relative to that year.

Energy: Housing

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of properties connected to the gas distribution network in (a) 2009, (b) 2010, (c) 2011 and (d) 2012 were deemed to be households in fuel poverty.

Gregory Barker: The most recent fuel poverty figures available are for the year 2010. The proportion of households connected to the gas grid who were in fuel poverty in 2009 and 2010 is shown as follows for England.
	
		
			  Proportion of households in this group that are in fuel poverty (percentage) 
			 2009 16.9 
			 2010 14.8 
		
	
	Fuel poverty figures for 2011 will be available on 16 May 2013.
	These figures are based on the 10% measure of fuel poverty ie households are deemed to be in fuel poverty if they need to spend more than 10% of their income on fuel in order to achieve an adequate level of warmth.

Fuel Poverty

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of (a) off-gas grid households and (b) on-grid households were fuel poor in (i) the UK, (ii) England, (iii) Scotland, (iv) Wales and (v) Northern Ireland in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Gregory Barker: The proportion of off-grid and on-grid households that were fuel poor are shown in the following table for the most recent year that figures are available for each country.
	
		
			 Percentage 
			  Off-grid households On-grid households 
			 England (2010) 26 15 
			 Scotland (2011) 43 27 
			 Wales (2008) 44 21 
		
	
	These figures are based on the current 10% definition of fuel poverty, whereby households are deemed to be in fuel poverty if they need to spend more than 10% of their income on fuel to maintain an adequate level of warmth. However, the data are not perfectly comparable due to differences in the way that fuel poverty is measured in each of the countries. This, along with the fact that data for Northern Ireland are not available at present, means that providing a figure for the UK is not possible.

Green Deal Scheme

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  how many Green Deal providers have (a) applied to the Green Deal Finance Company, (b) been successful in their applications and (c) awarded the finance obtained through those applications to customers to date;
	(2)  when the first Green Deal finance package was paid out by the Green Deal Finance Company to a Green Deal provider;
	(3)  what total amount has been transferred from the Green Deal Finance Company to Green Deal providers to date.

Gregory Barker: The Green Deal Finance Company is a private company, and its engagement with providers is a commercial matter for them. DECC will be publishing statistics on the status of Green Deal plans and assessments in June.

Green Deal Scheme

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many Green Deal assessments have been undertaken for off gas grid properties since the launch of the Green Deal.

Gregory Barker: The number of Green Deal assessments is published on a monthly basis in the domestic Green Deal statistics monthly report. The number of Green Deal assessments up to the end of April 2013 will be published on 14 May at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-energy-climate-change/series/green-deal-and-energy-company-obligation-eco-statistics
	DECC have not to date published any more detailed breakdowns on assessments such as those undertaken for off gas grid properties. DECC will publish a more detailed quarterly statistical report in June based on assessments between January and March.

Publications

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department spent on subscriptions to academic journals published by (a) Reed-Elsevier, (b) Wiley-Blackwell, (c) Springer and (d) any other academic publisher in each of the last five years.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change does not record this information centrally and it would be available only at disproportionate cost.

Renewable Energy

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent representations he has received regarding incentives for the purchase of renewable energy from independent generators after the renewables obligation ends.

Gregory Barker: Ministers and officials have held many meetings with a wide range of independent generators, suppliers and other stakeholders covering route-to-market issues including incentives for the purchase of renewable energy from independent generators after the end of the renewables obligation. The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change met with the Independent Renewable Energy Generators Group to discuss route to market issues. Officials have also held workshops, each attended by over 100 industry representatives, at which a range of views have been put forward.
	In such meetings, and during our call for evidence last year, we heard concerns that some independent generators are currently finding it more difficult to secure long-term contracts (power purchase agreements) to sell their power on viable terms, and concerns that this situation may persist as we move to the Contract for Difference support mechanism.
	The Government's view is that Contracts for Difference (CfDs) will open up new opportunities for independent generation developers and will support the development of a more competitive market for power purchase agreements. The Government have working closely with industry to smooth the transition to the new regime, and have included powers in the Energy Bill to give it the flexibility to act to improve the route to market for independents if it becomes necessary. The Government have also considering whether there is a case for further action to ensure that the market, including independent generators, is ready for the CfD.

Warm Home Discount Scheme

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households have received the discount through the warm house discount scheme in (a) 2011, (b) 2012 and (c) 2013 to date.

Gregory Barker: The Warm Home Discount operates in financial years and we cannot report figures by calendar year.
	In 2011-12, a total of 936,043 electricity bill discounts of £120 were paid under the Warm Home Discount (701,746 to the Core Group and 234,297 to the Broader Group).
	Final figures for 2012-13 will be confirmed in the Ofgem annual report published in October 2013. We expect a total of around 1.52 million discounts of £130 to have been paid (1.16 million to the Core Group and 360,000 to the Broader Group).

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Consultants

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of her Department's spending on private contractors was paid in bonuses to (a) the company concerned and (b) individual consultants.

Justine Greening: DFID does not pay bonuses through its centrally-let contracts. DFID is not aware of bonuses being paid to any companies or any individual consultant. To investigate this question further would incur additional resource and would not be cost-effective.

Developing Countries: Health Services

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of the cultural barriers indigenous peoples and other minority groups face in accessing health services; and what steps her Department is taking to address such barriers.

Justine Greening: Simply making good quality health services available will not ensure that the right services are used by the right people at the right time. Wider barriers also limit access to and utilisation of health care, especially social and cultural factors such as low and unequal status of women and girls, child marriage, lack of or inappropriate information, lack of community/social support for specific forms of health care, and harmful traditional practices. This is especially the case for minority groups, including indigenous populations. Understanding health-related behaviours and wider social practices and norms is a critical step towards empowering people to use health services and make healthy choices. Our health programmes aim to help countries develop and implement purposeful policies that target specific, underserved groups, improve the overall efficiency of the health system, and meet the needs of all people in society.
	DFID will shortly publish a position paper outlining its current approach to health systems strengthening and reaching the poorest. The paper will be available on the website later in 2013.

Enfield

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding (a) her Department and (b) each non-departmental public body for which she is responsible has allocated to the London borough of Enfield local authority in each of the last five years.

Alan Duncan: None.

Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions she has had with the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria on that organisation's funding.

Lynne Featherstone: In this replenishment year for the Global Fund, Ministers and officials from DFID have been in regular contact with Global Fund staff and other stakeholders about current and future funding needs.

International Assistance

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the UK plans to propose to address health inequalities faced by marginalised groups in the framework that will replace the Millennium Development Goals.

Lynne Featherstone: Health inequalities, and inequitable health service access, result in inefficient use of health resources and failure to improve health outcomes for poor people. The UK is working with others across the world in the context of discussions around the new global framework that will replace the current Millennium Development Goals to consider how marginalised and underserved groups can be reached with adequate health services. These discussions are ongoing.

Latin America

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding her Department provided to each country in Latin America in each of the last five years.

Alan Duncan: Department for International Development (DFID) expenditure, broken down by recipient countries, is published in the “Statistics on International Development” annual publication, which is available online at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statistics-on-international-development
	Details of DFID expenditure in Latin American countries for the last five financial years can be found in: Table 14.2: Total DFID Expenditure and GPEX by Recipient Country (Americas) 2007/08 - 2011/12, under the column headed “Total DFID Bilateral Programme”. This table is also available online at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/table-14-2-total-dfid-expenditure-and-gpex-by-recipient-country-americas-2007-08-2011-12--2

Third Global Forum on Human Resources for Health

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether she intends to attend the Third Global Forum on Human Resources for Health.

Justine Greening: Ministerial diaries in November are yet to be finalised, and this important event will be considered along with others for attendance.

TREASURY

Disclosure of Information

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  which Minister in his Department is responsible for overseeing his Department's whistleblowing policy;
	(2)  what steps his Department is taking to protect whistleblowers; and if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's whistleblowing policy.

Sajid Javid: In accordance with the Civil Service Code and the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, the Treasury has two nominated officers for investigating staff concerns: (i) a non-executive board member of the Treasury Board and Chair of the Treasury Group Audit Committee; and (ii) its Head of Internal Audit. Ultimately, the Treasury's Permanent Secretary is responsible for the Department's whistleblowing policy. The Treasury's policy on whistleblowing is available to all its staff via its internal website. The information requested will be deposited in the Library of the House.

Equitable Life Assurance Society: Compensation

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he plans to take to address the concerns raised by the National Audit Office about the Equitable Life payment scheme.

Sajid Javid: The NAO report provides some very useful guidance to the payment scheme. HMT and National Savings and Investments will be implementing its recommendations in full.

Railways: Scotland

Margaret Curran: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress he has made on the upgrade of the Caledonian Sleeper Service.

Danny Alexander: As announced in the 2011 autumn statement, the UK Government made £50 million of funding available for improvements in the Caledonian Sleeper service, subject to matched co-funding from the Scottish Government. Funds have already been drawn down by the Scottish Government. The UK Government are continuing to monitor the delivery of the overall investment programme.

Revenue and Customs

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff have been made redundant by HM Revenue and Customs in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: From 1 April 2012 to 9 May 2013, 30 staff, have left HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) under voluntary redundancy schemes.
	HMRC is committed to minimising redundancies and avoiding compulsory redundancies if it possibly can. No one in HMRC has been made compulsorily redundant against their wishes. However, two people have left, agreeing to do so under compulsory redundancy terms.

Revenue and Customs

Michael Meacher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many times the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 has been used by HM Revenue and Customs to (a) look at websites used by individual taxpayers, (b) identify where a mobile telephone call was made or received and (c) establish the date and time of emails, texts or telephone calls in each year since 2000; and on how many occasions such action led to prosecution.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) acquires communications data to support investigations into a broad range of financial frauds perpetrated by serious, organised criminal groups, including the smuggling and diversion of excise goods, indirect tax fraud (including multi trader intra-community VAT fraud), money laundering and the illegal import and export of strategic goods.
	HMRC does not keep statistics in the format requested. Part 1 chapter 2 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (which deals with Communications Data) did not become law until 2004. HMRC was formed in 2005 and so cannot provide figures prior to 2005.
	The Acquisition and Disclosure of Communications Data Codes of Practice (section 71 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000) require the Department—as a relevant public authority—to keep a record of the following items for inspection by the Interception of Communications Commissioner's Office (paragraph 6.5):
	number of applications submitted to a designated person for a decision to obtain communications data which were rejected after due consideration;
	number of notices requiring disclosure of communications data within the meaning of each subsection of section 21(4) of the Act or any combinations of data;
	number of authorisations for conduct to acquire communications data within the meaning of each subsection of section 21(4) of the Act or any combinations of data;
	number of times an urgent notice is given orally, or an urgent authorisation granted orally, requiring disclosure of communications data within the meaning of each subsection of section 21(4) of the Act or any combination of data.
	Since 2005 HMRC has requested the following items of Communications Data under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000:
	2005
	(a) 296 (section 21 (4)(a)—traffic data)
	(b) 1,235 (section 21 (4)(b)—service use data)
	(c) 8,275 (section 21 (4)(c)—subscriber data)
	2006
	(a) 263 (section 21 (4)(a)—traffic data)
	(b) 743 (section 21 (4)(b)—service use data)
	(c) 6,287 (section 21 (4)(c)—subscriber data)
	2007
	(a) 518 (section 21 (4)(a)—traffic data)
	(b) 940 (section 21 (4)(b)—service use data)
	(c) 8,222 (section 21(4)(c)—subscriber data)
	2008
	(a) 1,328 (section 21 (4)(a)—traffic data)
	(b) 1,167 (section 21 (4)(b)—service use data)
	(c) 8,506 (section 21 (4)(b)—service use data)
	2009
	(a) 1,778 (section 21 (4)(a)—traffic data)
	(b) 669 (section 21 (4)(b)—service use data)
	(c) 8,722 (section 21(4)(c)—subscriber data)
	2010
	(a) 1,789 (section 21 (4)(a)—traffic data)
	(b) 376 (section 21 (4)(b)—service use data)
	(c) 9,471 (section 21 (4)(c)—subscriber data)
	2011
	(a) 2,784 (section 21 (4)(a)—traffic data)
	(b) 92 (section 21 (4)(b)—service use data)
	(c)11,952 (section 21 (4)(c)—subscriber data)
	2012
	(a) 3,013 (section 21 (4)(a)—traffic data)
	(b) 89 (section 21 (4)(b)—service use data).
	(c) 11,812 (Section 21 (4)(c) - subscriber data)
	2013 (to 10 May 2013)
	(a) 1,345 (section 21 (4)(a)—traffic data)
	(b) 12 (section 21 (4)(b)—service use data)
	(c) 5,577 (section 21 (4)(c)—subscriber data)
	It is not possible to reconcile communications data requests to individual prosecutions. These figures relate to individuals investigated by the Department (either in the UK or abroad) and for all designated purposes (for example, strategic exports, excise smuggling and diversion and indirect tax fraud) not solely investigations into individual tax payers. The figures will also include intelligence operations which may not have led to prosecutions. The figures up to 2009 also include communications data requests relating to drugs operations which HMRC undertook on behalf of the UKBA.

Staff

Frank Dobson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which advisers to his Department (a) work for banks, (b) are seconded from banks and (c) were previously working for banks.

Sajid Javid: HM Treasury have no employees or contractors currently working for banks and we have identified three secondees from banks who have worked here in the last five years. Data on (c) are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate costs.
	HM Treasury does from time to time take secondments from the Bank of England. There have been four since April 2010.

Taxation: Business

Michael Meacher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many settlements of tax disputes have been reached between HM Revenue and Customs and corporations in each of the last 10 years; and what the total value of such settlements was in each such year.

David Gauke: HMRC carries out numerous inquiries each year into returns made by corporations but its management information systems do not allow it to identify separately the results of settled disputes and those from more straightforward inquiries.
	HMRC publishes overall figures for additional revenue. In 2011-12 the additional revenue from HMRC compliance activity was £16.7 billion which is more than double the amount in 2005. Of the 2011-12 total, £6.9 billion came from large businesses.

Taxation: Business

Michael Meacher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what amount of tax was owed by each of the four unnamed companies who agreed settlements with HM Revenue and Customers collectively worth £4.5 billion before those agreements were reached.

David Gauke: I am not privy to the details of the tax affairs of individual companies and HMRC is constrained from disclosing such information because of its legal obligation to protect taxpayer confidentiality.
	However the agreements referred to were reviewed by Sir Andrew Park on behalf of the National Audit Office.
	That review endorsed all of the agreements that were reached concluding that all the settlements were reasonable and at least one may have been better than reasonable.

VAT: Sixth Form Colleges

Ben Wallace: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will exempt sixth form colleges from VAT on goods and services.

David Gauke: There are no plans to allow sixth form colleges to waive VAT on purchases. They are required to pay VAT on their purchases, in common with everyone else. The basic funding principle for sixth form colleges is that these VAT costs are taken into account as part of the up-front funding allocation.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: Snow and Ice

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the reason was for the time taken by his Department to announce assistance for farmers affected by recent severe weather conditions; and if he will make a statement.

David Heath: DEFRA provided an immediate programme of assistance to farmers who have had to cope with the effects of the horrendous spring weather. This was set out in my written ministerial statement on 18 April 2013, Official Report, column 34WS.

Floods: Insurance

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent steps he has taken in respect of flood insurance.

Richard Benyon: Constructive discussions continue between Government and the Association of British Insurers and others about the future of flood insurance. The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and I have also met regularly with ministerial colleagues from the Cabinet Office, HM Treasury and other Departments over the last 12 months to discuss this subject. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of such meetings.
	We need a solution that ensures the availability and affordability of flood insurance for those at flood risk but does not place unsustainable costs on wider policyholders and the taxpayer. A range of options are on the table and no final decisions have been taken.
	I will endeavour to provide a further public update at the earliest appropriate opportunity.

Livestock: Exports

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the potential for harm to those animals exported live.

David Heath: I have made no recent assessment in relation to the potential for harm to those animals exported live. As I made clear in my contribution to the debate in the House on live exports on 13 December 2012, Official Report, column 528, the Government is of the view that if the legal requirements laid down in the EU welfare and transport legislation are observed, there is a satisfactory level of protection for the animals being transported. I am also confident that the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency ensures that these strict legal requirements are adequately enforced in GB.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 2 April 2013 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr B O'Malley.

Richard Benyon: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs replied to the right hon. Member on 9 May.

Recycling

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that individuals with prior convictions for environmental offences are not granted recycling permits.

Richard Benyon: Legislation and Government guidance provide that the Environment Agency may consider the competence of operators to operate a facility in accordance with their permit at any time. In assessing operator competence, the Environment Agency may refuse the grant of a permit where the applicant or another relevant person has been convicted of relevant offences. The Environment Agency will take into account a number of factors in assessing whether to refuse a permit, such as the nature of the offence and the likelihood of reoffending.
	Operator competence is also assessed throughout the lifetime of the permit. This includes factors such as the need to serve enforcement or suspension notices or conviction for further relevant offences. The Environment Agency may revoke a permit where it is satisfied that the operator is no longer a suitable person to hold the permit.

Refrigeration

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on proposals for a ban on the use of HFC refrigerants in new centralised supermarket refrigeration systems from 2020.

Richard Benyon: We would carefully consider proposals for bans on the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in applications on a case by case basis. Such measures would need to take account of the availability and technical feasibility of alternatives, as well as the financial and environmental costs and benefits of replacing HFC refrigerants across the range of systems concerned.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Burma

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the number of refugees who have left Burma as a result of the recent violence against the Muslim community in that country.

Hugo Swire: On 19 April the UN High Commissioner for Refugees estimated that since June last year 27,800 people—the majority of them believed to be from Rakhine state—have made the dangerous journey across the Bay of Bengal to various countries in the region. However, the total number of refugees that have left Burma because of the recent violence is difficult to calculate given the clandestine nature of that kind of migration and the fact that many of them do not leave for one reason alone.

Cambodia

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Cambodia.

Hugo Swire: Our embassy in Phnom Penh provides regular updates on the human rights situation in Cambodia. Our assessment is that the Cambodian Government are making progress in some areas such as women's health and land registration. However, the situation needs to be improved in respect of land disputes, freedom of expression, rule of law and corruption. Human rights is one of the key priorities of our embassy's work in Cambodia. We raise these issues frequently with the Cambodian Government, both bilaterally and through the EU, and will continue to do so. In particular, we strongly support the work of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) established in 2006 to deliver justice to the millions of victims of the Khmer Rouge regime and to hold to account its surviving most senior and responsible perpetrators. In the last financial year we made contributions totalling £2 million to help the court continue in its work.

Cambodia

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to his Cambodian counterpart on (a) land grabs, (b) human rights, (c) independence of the judiciary and (d) freedom of expression in that country.

Hugo Swire: Our ambassador to Phnom Penh has raised our concerns on each of these issues, both bilaterally and with our international partners with senior Ministers in Phnom Penh, including with Prime Minister Hun Sen. The UK remains committed to supporting the promotion and protection of human rights in Cambodia. In particular, we strongly support the work of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) established in 2006 to deliver justice to the millions of victims of the Khmer Rouge regime and to hold to account its surviving most senior and responsible perpetrators. In the last financial year we made contributions totalling £2 million to help the court continue in its work.

China

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the policy of the Chinese government towards practitioners of Falun Gong; what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the Falun Gong movement in the UK; and what recent discussions he has had with his Chinese counterparts regarding the treatment of practitioners of Falun Gong in that country.

Hugo Swire: We are aware of the allegations contained in the Kilgour-Matas report regarding Falun Gong practitioners and forced organ removal. We are also aware that the UN Committee against Torture recommended in 2008 that the Chinese authorities conduct an independent investigation of the claims that some Falun Gong practitioners have been subjected to torture and forced organ removal.
	Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) officials met with David Kilgour and organisations representing Falun Gong practitioners on 29 April 2013 to listen to their concerns.
	We have serious concerns about reports of torture and mistreatment of detainees in China, including Falun Gong practitioners. We most recently highlighted our concerns in the FCO's 2012 Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy, which was published on 15 April 2013 and can be found at:
	www.hrdreport.fco.gov.uk
	Criminal justice reform and rule of law, including torture prevention and treatment of detainees, has been a consistent focus of our human rights engagement with the Chinese authorities. We will continue to raise these concerns with the Chinese Government bilaterally and alongside international partners.

Colombia

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the comments by the Colombian Defence Minister that the demonstration in Colombia which took place on 12 April 2013 was financed by the FARC; and if he will make a statement.

Hugo Swire: We are aware of the Colombian Defence Minister's comments about the march that took place in Colombia on 9 April. We believe that the attendance of President Santos and large numbers of the armed forces at the event, alongside over 1 million Colombians, demonstrates the Colombian Government's belief in the legitimacy of civil society groups and the contribution such groups can make towards achieving a lasting peace settlement for Colombia.

Colombia

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on links between opposition politicians in Colombia, the FARC and activists being targeted by paramilitaries.

Hugo Swire: We continue to receive reports of instances of violence against human rights defenders and killings of civilians. Organised illegal armed groups are responsible for the majority of such abuses, and most take place in areas affected by the ongoing armed conflict. We commend the Colombian Government's efforts to increase protection measures available to individuals, but have urged them to take further measures to prevent violence and threats.

Developing Countries: HIV Infection

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions has he had with the Secretary of State for International Department on the decision to increase support on HIV and AIDS from 0 per cent in 2011-12 to 50 per cent in 2012-13.

David Lidington: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has regular meetings with Cabinet colleagues at which they discuss a range of issues relating to their Departments.

G8

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of produce and refreshments served at the upcoming G8 summit in Northern Ireland will be Fairtrade certified.

Mark Simmonds: We are evaluating bids from potential suppliers for the G8 summit and remain committed to encouraging socially responsible corporate policies, such as sourcing Fairtrade products as well as using local seasonal produce, where appropriate.
	The UK fully supports Fairtrade and recognises its role in boosting trade and growth in developing countries and helping them to break their dependence on aid. This is in keeping with the Prime Minister’s vision for the G8.

Germany

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his German counterpart about the deportation of Professor Davinderpal Singh Bhullar from that country in 1995.

Hugo Swire: The UK continues to monitor the case of Davinderpal Singh Bhullar in India as we will in all instances where the death penalty has been given as a sentence. I raised Mr Bhullar’s case when I met the Indian High Commissioner to London, Dr J. Bhagwati, on 30 April. The British high commission in New Delhi has in parallel raised this issue with the Indian Ministry of External Affairs. In preparation for the UK-India Human Rights Dialogue, British and German officials continue to discuss India's use of the death penalty and Mr Bhullar's case, as appropriate.

India

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to his Indian counterpart on (a) Professor Davinderpal Singh Bhullar and (b) the abolition of the death penalty in that country.

Hugo Swire: I raised Mr Bhullar's case when I met the Indian High Commissioner, Dr J. Bhagwati, on 30 April. Our high commission in New Delhi has in parallel raised this issue with the Indian Ministry of External Affairs. The UK will continue to monitor this case closely, as we will in all cases where the death penalty has been given as a sentence.
	It is the long-standing policy of the British Government to oppose the death penalty in all circumstances as a matter of principle. While in New Delhi on 19 February, as part of my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's delegation, I raised our concerns with Ranjan Mathai, the Foreign Secretary at the Indian Ministry of External Affairs. The British Government will continue to make our position clear to the Indian Government, both bilaterally and through the EU, and urge them to introduce a formal moratorium with a view to eventual abolition of the death penalty.

Iraq

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of Iraqis killed as a result of terrorism and war-related violence since the invasion of that country in 2003.

Alistair Burt: I refer the hon. Member to the response the Senior Minister of State, my noble Friend the right hon. Baroness Warsi, gave in the other place on 18 March 2013, Official Report, House of Lords, column WA116.

Mali

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the work of human rights officials in the new UN Office in Mali, which began deploying in January 2013; and what assessment he has made of that work.

Mark Simmonds: We take the human rights situation in Mali seriously and recall that both UN Security Council Resolution 2085 and 2100, which the UK worked to support, emphasised their importance. Six human rights experts are currently deployed in the UN Office in Bamako, with plans to increase to a full capacity of 18, and to open a four-person office in Mopti in May. We maintain regular contact with the UN human rights office Bamako: embassy officials held introductory discussions with their new head, Guillaume Ngefa, in February 2013, and have more recently met him in April and May.
	We are supportive of the UN’s work in Mali, which includes efforts to establish communications systems to monitor violations and abuses, improve co-ordination among the international community, and liaise with the Malian Government, Malian armed forces and AFISMA to monitor and investigate allegations of human rights violations and abuses. This includes monitoring detainees held by Malian authorities, where there have been accusations of torture. We also understand that the UN Office will carry out some training for local human rights monitors. However, we understand that ongoing security challenges in northern Mali continue to pose problems for deployment of UN staff in that region.

Mali

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights concerning the monitoring and investigating of allegations of human rights violations and abuses in Mali.

Mark Simmonds: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office maintains regular contact with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and regularly supports discussion of the human rights situation in Mali at the UN Human Rights Council (HRC). The High Commissioner for Human Rights deployed a monitoring mission to Mali in February 2013 which reported that the military intervention in the north of Mali was followed by an escalation of retaliatory violence, and noted an urgent need to address problems of population displacement, ethnically motivated human rights violations, and the insufficiency of the Malian authorities’ response to human rights violations. At the HRC's 22nd session in March we then supported adoption of a resolution on monitoring and investigating allegations of human rights violations and abuses in Mali.

Nepal

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has any plans to visit Nepal.

Hugo Swire: It is long standing policy not to confirm ministerial travel plans significantly in advance.
	The UK values our close ties with Nepal based on 200 years of friendship and reflected in the frequent ministerial travel between our two countries, Most recently, my right hon. Friend the the Minister of State, Department for International Development visited Kathmandu in April 2013. In particular, we value our long-standing connection through the Gurkha Brigade and our position as Nepal's largest bilateral development donor. The UK will continue to play an active role in supporting democracy and the protection of fundamental rights in Nepal.

South Africa

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions has he had with the South African Government concerning the re-introduction of a teaching inspectorate in that country.

Mark Simmonds: We have had no substantive discussion with the South African Government on this issue, which is an internal matter for the South Africans.

South East Asia

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Prime Minister's Trade Envoy to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia regarding human rights in each of those countries.

Hugo Swire: Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials, including our ambassador to Cambodia, met the Prime Minister's Trade Envoy to Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, Lord Puttnam of Queensgate to discuss developments in Vietnam, laos and Cambodia, including human rights, in January 2012. UKTI officials regularly meet Lord Puttnam in his role as Trade Envoy to the region. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has not recently discussed these issues with Lord Puttnam.

Syria

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what criteria his Department used to identify appropriate participants in training the Syrian opposition.

William Hague: We are in close contact with the leadership of the Syrian National Coalition and Supreme Military Command Council in order to identify training beneficiaries that meet our criteria for the Law of Armed Conflict training. To ensure that the recipients of the training are legitimate members of the opposition all beneficiaries are carefully screened before they are invited to attend the training.

Syria

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the training which his Department is providing to the Syrian opposition forces includes the use of equipment which is prohibited for transfer to Syria under current EU sanctions arrangements.

William Hague: None of the training that the British Government are providing to the Syrian opposition includes the use of equipment that is prohibited for transfer to Syria under existing EU sanctions. All equipment provided for the opposition is carefully considered, in consultation with Foreign and Commonwealth Office sanctions and export licensing experts and legal advisers, against EU sanctions and international and domestic UK law including our own stringent, domestic export licensing criteria.

Syria

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the training provided by his Department to Syrian opposition forces includes appropriate military conduct during armed conflict.

William Hague: The training includes tuition on proper legal conduct for armed actors in conflict, in accordance with international conventions, and covers issues including human rights and international humanitarian law.

HEALTH

Accident and Emergency Departments: Bassetlaw

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients had to wait longer than four hours in accident and emergency at Bassetlaw Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in (a) the most recent week for which figures are available and (b) the same week in 2012.

Anna Soubry: For the week ending 28 April 2013, data published by NHS England shows that 166 patients waited longer than four hours for admission following a decision to admit at the Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. For the week ending 29 April 2012, this figure was 23.
	Source:
	NHS England statistics, accident and emergency waiting times and activity.

Anaemia

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 18 April 2013, Official Report, column 495W, on anaemia, how many aplastic anaemia cases of idiopathic cause there were in each hospital trust area by age group including individuals aged 20 and under in each year since 2002.

Anna Soubry: The information requested is currently being collated and I will write to the hon. Member with the data and place a copy in the Library.

Ashleigh Ewing

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 23 April 2013, Official Report, column 733W, on Ashleigh Ewing, for what reasons the investigation by NHS England into the death of Ashleigh Ewing is taking longer than was originally expected; and when he expects the report to be published.

Daniel Poulter: NHS England is responsible for publication of the independent investigation relating to the death of Ashleigh Ewing.
	NHS England will publish the report as soon as possible.

Cancer

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of progress on the early diagnosis of cancer.

Anna Soubry: To support earlier diagnosis of symptomatic cancer, we have committed over £450 million in funding over the four years up to 2014-15. The early diagnosis money is to fund campaigns to raise awareness of the symptoms of cancer and to encourage those with relevant symptoms to present promptly; increased general practitioner access to diagnostic tests; and more testing and treatment in secondary care. To support earlier diagnosis of asymptomatic cancer, breast and bowel screening programmes are being extended.
	A wide range of data analysis and evaluation is under way to understand the impact of this work. For example, analysis of the regional Be Clear on Cancer lung campaign piloted in the midlands region at the end of 2011 showed that trusts within the campaign area saw a 14.0% increase in lung cancer cases diagnosed for the period October to December 2011, compared with the same period in the previous year. Public Health England, the Department and NHS England have announced plans to repeat the national lung cancer campaign in July 2013 and further Be Clear on Cancer awareness activity will be announced later in the year.
	In addition, progress on early diagnosis activity will be measured by indicators in the Public Health Outcomes Framework (PHOF), which will enable us to monitor cancer screening coverage and the proportion of cancers diagnosed at stages 1 and 2, when cancers are more treatable. An indicator on reducing mortality in the under 75s is shared between the PHOF and the NHS Outcomes Framework (NHSOF). The NHSOF cancer survival indicators will also provide an indication of progress on early diagnosis.

Cancer

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he will take to hold clinical commissioning groups to account for improving on one and five year survival rates from all cancers.

Anna Soubry: Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are accountable to local populations and NHS England for planning and delivering high quality care. The CCG Outcome Indicator Set (CCGOIS) for 2013/14 contains indicators for both one year and five year survival rates for all cancers. The indicators will be used to measure the improvements in the quality of services and health outcomes achieved by CCGs through commissioning.
	On 7 May 2013, NHS England published the CCG Assurance Framework 2013/14 (outline proposal and interim arrangements). This provides more information about how NHS England, patients and the public identify how well CCGs are performing in their role as the commissioners of local health services. Subject to the outcome of an engagement exercise, a final framework will be published by NHS England in the autumn. A copy of the interim framework has been placed in the Library.

Cancer

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 23 January 2013, Official Report, column 354W, on cancer: surveys, what decision has been reached by the NHS Commissioning Board on whether to conduct the National Cancer Patient Experience Survey in 2013-14.

Anna Soubry: NHS England has yet to make a decision about whether to conduct a National Cancer Patient Experience Survey (NCPES) for 2013-14. NHS England will be undertaking a review of surveys, including the NCPES, to determine how it can best gain the insight it needs to assess progress against the mandate. Key stakeholders will be involved in the review process.

Cancer: Drugs

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Cancer Drugs Fund in ensuring that decisions to approve quickly urgent access to anti-cancer drugs; what plans he has for the (a) continuation, (b) development and (c) funding level of the Cancer Drugs Fund; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: Since October 2010, over 28,800 people in England have benefited from the £650 million of additional funding we have made available to the national health service for cancer drugs.
	From 1 April, NHS England took on oversight of the Cancer Drugs Fund. It has published a national list of cancer drugs covered by cohort policies, supporting timely and consistent access. Clinicians can apply to the national Cancer Drugs Fund for the inclusion of a drug within the approved cohort list, which is available at:
	www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/ncdf-list.pdf
	We are considering ways in which patients can continue to benefit from drugs provided through the fund, at a cost that represents value to the NHS.

Cleveland Fire Brigade

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 2 July 2012, Official Report, column 520W, on health services: social enterprise, whether permission was given for the funds allocated to Cleveland Fire Brigade from the Social Enterprise Investment Fund to be used to explore the possibility of spinning that Fire Brigade out as a public service mutual.

Norman Lamb: The funding allocated to Cleveland Fire Authority was for the purpose of establishing a viable social enterprise under the Government's Right to Provide scheme.

Clothing: Children

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the importance of clothes to fit in influencing the subjective wellbeing of children.

Norman Lamb: The Department has made no such assessment, but we welcome the work of the Children's Society on the subjective well-being of children.

Diseases

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  with reference to the answer of 23 April 2013, Official Report, columns 889-90W, on diseases, if his Department will (a) commission and (b) evaluate research on the number of people with (i) multiple sclerosis, (ii) Huntingdon's disease and (iii) 22q deletion syndrome;
	(2)  what consideration his Department gives to the number of people with (a) multiple sclerosis, (b) Huntingdon's disease and (c) 22q deletion syndrome when allocating research funding for these conditions.

Norman Lamb: The Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health. However, it is not usual practice of the NIHR to ring-fence funds for expenditure on particular topics: research proposals in all areas compete for the funding available. This includes research on multiple sclerosis, Huntington's disease and 22q deletion syndrome. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the scientific quality of the proposals made.
	The Department is working closely with the other United Kingdom Health Departments and other key partners and stakeholders to produce a UK Plan for Rare Diseases by the end of 2013. The plan, aimed at improving diagnosis, treatment and care management for all patients with a rare disease, will cover research and development.

Doctors

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) doctors were employed in the NHS and (b) medical students there were in each year since 1996-97.

Daniel Poulter: The annual national health service work force census, published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre, shows the number of doctors employed by the NHS in England at 30 September each year. The numbers of doctors working in the NHS from 1996 to 2012 are shown in Table 1.
	We do not hold the total population of medical students.
	The number of new medical students entering undergraduate training programmes since 1996-97 is as follows:
	
		
			  Intake 
			 1996-97 3,594 
			 1997-98 3,749 
			 1998-99 3,735 
			 1999-2000 3,972 
			 2000-01 4,300 
			 2001-02 4,713 
			 2002-03 5,277 
			 2003-04 6,030 
		
	
	
		
			 2004-05 6,294 
			 2005-06 6,314 
			 2006-07 6,401 
			 2007-08 6,264 
			 2008-09 6,477 
			 2009-10 6,437 
			 2010-11 6,418 
			 2011-12 6,393 
			 Source: Higher Education Funding Council for England 
		
	
	The provisional number for 2012-13 intake is 6,262.
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of NHS Doctors in England: full time equivalent 1996 to 2012, England 
			 Full-time equivalents 
			  1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
			 All doctors(1) 81,783 84,758 86,594 88,693 90,638 92,910 97,415 102,344 109,483 
			 Of which:          
			 All GPs(1) 27,550 27,660 27,848 28,033 28,154 28,439 28,740 29,777 30,762 
			 Medical and dental staff 54,233 57,099 58,746 60,338 62,094 64,055 68,260 72,260 78,462 
		
	
	
		
			 Full-time equivalents 
			  2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 All doctors(1) 114,470 119,359 120,878 125,316 132,368 132,710 134,570 136,615 
			 Of which:         
			 All GPs(1) 31,683 33,121 33,345 33,730 35,770 35,074 35,175 35,716 
			 Medical and dental staff 82,568 85,975 87,533 91,586 96,598 97,636 99,394 100,899 
			 (1) GP Retainers did not come into existence until 1999 and have been excluded for comparability purposes over the time series. Notes: 1. Data as at 30 September each year for medical and dental staff. 2. Data as at 1 October for years 1996-99 and 30 September 2000-12 for general practitioners. 3. Data quality The Health and Social Care Information Centre seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality. Where changes impact on figures already published, this is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level. Sources: Health and Social Care Information Centre Medical and Dental Workforce Census Health and Social Care Information Centre GP Workforce Census

Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: Childbirth

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the spare capacity level for births is at Bassetlaw and Doncaster Hospital.

Anna Soubry: This information is not collected centrally.
	We have written to Chris Scholey, chair of the Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust informing him of the hon. Member’s inquiry. He will reply shortly and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

General Practitioners

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department has published on GP home visits.

Daniel Poulter: General practitioners (GPs) are independent contractors who work under contracts with NHS England. Under the terms of their contract, GPs are required to provide a home visit where in the reasonable opinion of the contractor it is considered medically necessary.
	It is also a contractual requirement for GP practices to issue practice leaflets. The practice leaflet must set out the criteria for home visits and the method of obtaining such a visit.

Health Foods: EU Law

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the potential effect on independent health food shops in the UK of full implementation of the EU Food Supplements Directive 2004/46 EC;
	(2)  what representations he has made to the European Health Commissioner on proposals to determine maximum permitted levels at which vitamins and minerals may be present in food supplements.

Anna Soubry: The Government's position is that any future decisions on vitamins, minerals and other food supplements need to be proportionate and based on evidence, so that consumers have confidence in what they buy, while maintaining a wide choice of safe products.
	I wrote to the European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy, Tonio Borg, on 10 January 2013 and my right hon. Friend the the Secretary of State for Health met with the Commissioner on 17 January 2013 to emphasise the United Kingdom's position. Until further details are released on any future proposals, it is not possible to anticipate the full impact that the setting of maximum levels may have on consumer choice and the health food sector, including independent health food shops.

Health Services

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many strategic clinical networks have been fully established to date.

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 26 November 2012, Official Report, column 121W, on cancer, how many strategic clinical networks for cancer have been established to date; and which areas are covered by these networks.

Anna Soubry: The NHS England core support teams for all four designated strategic clinical networks have been in place since 1 April 2013, including for cancer.
	The geographic boundaries for the strategic clinical networks are based on the 12 Clinical Senate areas as set out in ‘The Way Forward: Strategic clinical networks’, a copy of this report has been placed in the Library.

Health: Ethnic Groups

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the comparative wellbeing of the (a) black ethnic community and (b) Bangladeshi community;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the differences between anxiety levels of (a) non-white and (b) white ethnic groups;
	(3)  what comparative assessment he has made of differences between gender in the appearance of self-reported wellbeing.

Norman Lamb: No such assessments have been made.

Heart Diseases: Children

Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Independent Reconfiguration Panel's advice on the review of children's heart surgery will be made public.

Anna Soubry: The Independent Reconfiguration Panel's report concerning the Safe and Sustainable review of children's congenital heart services was submitted to my right hon. Friend the the Secretary of State for Health on 30 April 2013.
	The Secretary of State for Health is now considering this important report and will make his decision in due course.
	As is routine, the panel will publish its report on the same day the Secretary of State for Health makes his decision public.

Horsemeat

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prosecutions under food labelling or trade descriptions legislation have been initiated as a result of the horsemeat scandal; and against which food producers and retailers such prosecutions have been initiated.

Anna Soubry: Prosecutions for the mislabelling of meat products fall within the remit of local authority environmental health or trading standards departments.
	The Food Standards Agency (FSA) and the police, working with their counterparts across Europe, are involved in a complicated and far-reaching investigation into horsemeat. At this stage, it cannot be confirmed if prosecutions will result from this ongoing action. The FSA will be in contact with those local authorities known to be involved in investigation work to find out what further steps they will take on the evidence gathered.
	The FSA collects enforcement activity data from local authorities annually, including details of the number of prosecutions completed. However, the data provided to the FSA does not go into the level of detail requested. This would be available only from the individual local authorities concerned.

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust

John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust has met the four key tests referred to in his letter of 13 December 2012 to the right hon. Member for Tonbridge and Malling.

Anna Soubry: Responsibility for assessing national health service trusts against the four tests of eligibility set by the Department to access funding to support their private finance initiative (PFI) costs rests with the NHS Trust Development Authority. An assessment of the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust is currently under way as part of an overall assessment of its operating plan for 2013-14. The planning process is expected to conclude by the end of June.

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust

John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the deficit of the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust will be funded in (a) 2013-14 and (b) subsequent financial years.

Anna Soubry: The trust is not forecasting a deficit position. The NHS Trust Development Authority will be monitoring activity against plans for all national health service trusts to ensure remedial action is taken if necessary.

NHS 111

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which areas have (a) complete coverage of the NHS 111 service, (b) coverage of the NHS 111 service on evenings and weekends only and (c) no coverage of the NHS 111 service.

Anna Soubry: The information for areas which have complete coverage of the NHS 111 service can be found in the following list A. Information for areas which have no coverage of the NHS 111 service can be found listed in list B. For those areas not yet covered by NHS 111, NHS Direct and local general practitioner out-of-hours services are still available.
	NHS 111 is a 24-hour, seven days a week service; there are therefore no data on the coverage of NHS 111 on evening and weekends only.
	A. The following areas have complete coverage of the NHS 111 service:
	North East
	Great Yarmouth and Waveney
	Norfolk
	Hertfordshire
	Suffolk
	Milton Keynes
	Croydon
	Outer North West London
	Hillingdon
	Wandsworth
	Richmond and Kingston
	Inner North West London
	North Central London
	Sutton and Merton
	East London and The City
	Outer North East London
	Buckinghamshire
	Oxfordshire
	Dorset
	Mainland Southampton, Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Portsmouth
	Isle of Wight
	West Midlands
	North West(1)
	South East London(1)
	Kent Surrey Sussex
	Yorkshire and Humber(1)
	Lincolnshire(1)
	South Essex(1)
	Derbyshire(1)
	Nottingham City and County(1)
	Northamptonshire(1)
	Bath and North East Somerset and Wiltshire(1)
	Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire(1)
	Somerset(1)
	Berkshire
	(1) These areas have full access to NHS 111; however some other services, such as NHS Direct and out of hours services, are being used to support demand management.
	B. The following areas have no coverage of the NHS 111 service:
	North Essex
	Bedfordshire and Luton
	Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
	Leicester City, Leicester County and Rutland
	Cornwall
	Devon.

NHS: Religion

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the annual cost to the NHS of religious and spiritual care has been over the last 10 years; which religion and spiritual faiths are included in that cost; and how much was spent in respect of each religion and spiritual faith.

Norman Lamb: Information about the annual cost to the national health service of providing religious and spiritual care is not held centrally. Following the Chief Nursing Officer's review of chaplaincy services in 2003-04, the Department provided direct annual grants to support the work of national chaplaincy and spiritual care organisations. Information on the amounts of grants paid and the beneficiary organisations in each of the last four years is shown in the table. Similar information covering the period from 2005 to 2009 is not available centrally. It is important to note that these figures relate to grants allocated centrally by the Department and not the total spend on such services, which will be significantly higher.
	
		
			 £ 
			  2012-13 2011-12 2010-11 2009-10 
			 Multi-Faith Group for Healthcare Chaplaincy 30,000 — 10,000 30,000 
			 Free Church Federal Council (1)53,500 (2)93,000 48,000 48,000 
			 United Synagogue Visitation Committee 48,000 48,000 48,000 48,000 
			 Muslim Council of Britain 51,5003 48,000 (3)53,000 48,000 
			 UK Sikh Healthcare Chaplaincy Group 10,000 26,000 26,000 26,000 
			 National Council of Vanik Associations 10,000 20,000 20,000 20,000 
			 National Council of Hindu Temples — 17,000 17,000 17,000 
			 Buddhist Healthcare Chaplaincy Group 10,000 11,000 11,000 11,000 
			 National Spiritual Assembly of Bahai's of the UK 2,000 2,000 2,000 2,000 
			 Notes: (1 )Includes funding for the UK Board of Healthcare Chaplaincy Volunteer Training Programme. (2) Includes funding for Health Care Chaplains Appointment Advisors Panel. (3 )Includes funding for training programme for Muslim Hospital Chaplains

Nurses

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) nurses were employed in the NHS and (b) student nurses there were in each year since 1996-97.

Daniel Poulter: The annual national health service workforce census, published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre, shows the number of nurses employed by the NHS in England at 30 September each year. The numbers of nurses working in the NHS from 1996 to 2012 are shown in table 1.
	We do not hold the total population of student nurses. The annual nursing training commissions for England for 2001-02 to 2012-13 which show the total numbers entering training each year are shown in table 2. Comparable statistics are not available for 1996-97 to 2000-01.
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of NHS Nurses in England: full-time equivalent 1996-2012 England 
			 Full-time equivalent 
			  1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
			 Total nurses 249,572 247,635 248,128 251,907 257,429 267,381 280,212 290,971 300,403 
			 Of which:          
			 Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visitors 239,751 237,553 237,768 241,218 246,717 256,218 268,214 278,003 286,841 
			 GP practice nurses 9,821 10,082 10,359 10,689 10,711 11,163 11,998 12,967 13,563 
		
	
	
		
			 Full-time equivalent 
			  2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Total nurses 308,205 310,383 308,516 313,879 320,469 323,783 321,143 319,755 
			 Of which:         
			 Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visitors 294,412 295,767 293,962 299,917 306,887 309,139 306,346 305,060 
			 GP practice nurses 13,793 14,616 14,554 13,962 13,582 14,644 14,797 14,695 
			 Notes: 1. Data as at 30 September for all years for non-medical staff. 2. Data as at 1 October for years 1996-99 and 30 September 2000-12 for practice nurses. 3. Figures exclude bank nurses. Data quality: The Health and Social Care Information Centre seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality. Where changes impact on figures already published, this is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses. Sources: 1. Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census. 2. Health and Social Care Information Centre GP Workforce Census. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Nursing training commissions 2001-02 to 2012-13 
			   Actual commissions 
			   2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 
			 Nursing Degree 2,483 2,543 2,858 3,384 3,238 4,006 
			  Diploma 18,141 18,980 19,957 19,993 17,070 17,193 
			  Subtotal 20,624 21,523 22,815 23,377 20,308 21,199 
			         
			 Midwifery Degree 621 709 753 895 891 983 
			  Diploma 525 724 716 744 397 540 
			  18 month diploma 732 677 757 735 891 531 467 
			  Subtotal 1,878 2,110 2,226 2,374 1,819 1,990 
			         
			 Nursing and midwifery total (including 18 month diploma)  22,502 23,633 25,041 25,751 22,127 23,189 
		
	
	
		
			   Actual commissions 
			   2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Nursing Degree 4,062 4,262 5,753 6,757 13,583 16,491 
			  Diploma 15,290 16,402 15,076 13,335 4,158 728 
			  Subtotal 19,352 20,664 20,829 20,092 17,741 17,219 
			         
			 Midwifery Degree 1,307 1,944 1,977 2,034 2,052 2,150 
			  Diploma 412 — — — — — 
			  18 month diploma 352 328 505 454 432 430 
			  Subtotal 2,071 2,272 2,482 2,488 2,484 2,580 
			         
			 Nursing and midwifery total (including 18 month diploma)  21,423 22,936 23,311 22,580 20,225 19,799 
			 Note: Midwifery diplomas were moved to 18 month diplomas in 2008-09. Source: SHA MPET FIMS returns.

Nurses

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses there were in the NHS in (a) May 2010 and (b) the latest month for which figures are available.

Daniel Poulter: The NHS Hospital and Community Health Service monthly work force statistics published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre show the number of qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff working in the national health service in England. In May 2010 there were 310,793 full-time equivalent qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff working in the NHS in England and in January 2013, the latest month for which figures are available, there were 308,483 full-time equivalent qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff in the NHS.

Oxygen: Aviation

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will make it his policy to require airlines to provide onboard oxygen for patients reliant upon NHS-provided home oxygen equipment; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what recent representations he has received on the use of home oxygen equipment on (a) domestic and (b) international airlines; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  if he will take steps to increase the number of countries offering reciprocal agreements for the provision of home oxygen equipment for UK citizens travelling abroad; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  if he will take steps to enable individuals using an NHS-provided portable oxygen machine to use their machine (a) outside of the UK for short periods of time and (b) while they are in transit to and from the UK; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  what steps he has taken to enable people reliant upon NHS-supplied home oxygen equipment to travel abroad; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: Access to state-funded medical treatment in European Economic Area (EEA) countries is provided for under the terms of a valid European Health Insurance Card and this includes access to oxygen services. However, due to the nature of these services, it is necessary for residents of EEA countries to reserve provision of the oxygen equipment they will require, during the temporary visit to the other country, in advance of their departure from their home country. This can be done by contacting the Department's Public Enquiry Centre who hold contact telephone numbers for all EEA countries.
	The United Kingdom also has reciprocal health care agreements with countries outside the EEA, such as Australia and New Zealand, and these provide cover for the cost of pre-existing conditions. However, individuals are still required to secure provision in advance on a personal basis in accordance with the provisions of the country they wish to visit, initially, through the embassy of the country concerned.
	There are no current plans to add to the number of health care agreements which the UK has with non-EEA countries and any additional EEA countries will be a matter for the European Union as a whole.
	The Government does not set policy for domestic or international airlines. The Department has, however, been working closely with the British Lung Foundation (BLF) to help educate airlines in understanding patient requirements and providing them with on-board oxygen at no additional cost.
	We are aware, through recent engagement with patients and the BLF, that patients are now more able to travel locally and abroad due to the recent enhancements made to the contracts for home oxygen in England (and Wales). The Department has had feedback from a recent engagement event that patients on oxygen want to be able to do more in terms of travel, and we will continue to work with NHS England and home oxygen suppliers in this area.

Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012

Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to implement the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 in its procurement procedures; and what guidance he has given to his Department's executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies on implementation of that Act.

Daniel Poulter: Cabinet Office circulated a Procurement Policy Note on 20 December 2012 with guidance on the requirements of the Public Services (Social Value Act) 2012, which came into force in January 2013.
	The Department has reviewed and updated its procurement documentation and guidance in light of the provisions of the Act.
	A copy of the Act and supporting Cabinet Office Procurement Policy Note was issued by the Department to its executive agencies and non-departmental bodies on 29 January 2013 requiring them to take actions to comply with legislation and providing guidance to do so.

Slaughterhouses: Inspections

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department spent on (a) meat inspections and (b) vets in UK abattoirs in each of the last five years.

Anna Soubry: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is responsible for the delivery of official controls in approved meat establishments (slaughterhouses, cutting plants and game handling establishments) subject to veterinary control within the United Kingdom. This work is carried out for the FSA by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in Northern Ireland through a service level agreement.
	Official veterinarians, and meat hygiene inspectors working under the supervision of official veterinarians, are typically present during processing of animals presented for slaughter. They carry out a range of duties, including ante- and post-mortem checks (on live animals and carcases and offal) and checks on the health and welfare of animals presented for slaughter. These official control duties ensure that food business operators have produced meat in accordance with regulatory requirements, with a health mark applied to show that meat is safe to enter the food chain.
	
		
			 Great Britain 
			 £ million 
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Meat inspection staff 40.9 33.6 35.9 30.6 31.4 
			 Official veterinarians 19.5 16.2 16.8 17.0 16.3 
			 Equipment, sampling, travel, information technology (IT) and support staff costs 17.5 18.3 14.2 13.4 12.1 
			 Total costs 77.9 68.1 66.9 61.0 59.7 
			 (1) Budget 
		
	
	
		
			 Northern Ireland 
			 £ million 
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Total costs 6.8 6.6 6.6 5.9 6.0 
		
	
	The Great Britain costs for meat inspection staff and for veterinarians are the direct costs including employers national insurance and pension contributions; London Pension Fund Authority deficit costs from 2008-09 to 2010-11 only, contract inspector and contract official veterinarian costs but excluding equipment, sampling, travel, IT and support staff costs such as operational management and Human Resources. Costs for Northern Ireland are totals as a lower level breakdown is not readily available.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts: Olympic Games 2012

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the support of UK arts in the running of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Edward Vaizey: Arts Council England and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games published analysis in April on the breadth and impact of the four-year UK-wide London 2012 Cultural Olympiad programme. ‘Reflections on the Cultural Olympiad and London 2012 Festival’ by the Cultural Olympiad Board, complemented by a full evaluation by the Institute of Cultural Capital at the University of Liverpool, showed that the Cultural Olympiad and London 2012 Festival was the largest cultural programme of any Olympic and Paralympic Games, with a geographical scale unmatched by any other UK festival, creating an unprecedented 43.4 million public experiences of arts and culture—38.5 million of which took place at free events. The analysis is available on Arts Council England's website:
	http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/news/arts-council-news/London-2012-Cultural-Olympiad-evaluation/

Coastal Areas: Regeneration

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent in the principal seaside towns under the Sea Change Programme.

Edward Vaizey: The information is not available in the form requested. Details of Sea Change programme grants can be found in the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment's (CABE) annual report and accounts for 2010-11.

Culture: Education

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many cross-departmental ministerial meetings have been held to discuss cultural education since February 2012; on what dates such meetings were held; and who attended each such meeting.

Edward Vaizey: The Secretary of State and other Ministers and officials regularly meet with the Department for Education to discuss a range of issues.

Enfield

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding (a) her Department and (b) each of the non-departmental public bodies for which she is responsible has allocated to the London borough of Enfield local authority in each of the last five years.

Hugh Robertson: The Department provided direct funding to the London borough of Enfield under the former Free Swimming scheme.
	
		
			  £ 
			 2008-09 (1)86,463.00 
			 2009-10 (2)269,942.70 
			 2010-11 (2)86,463.00 
			 (1) Capital. (2 )Resource. 
		
	
	The Department does not hold information about any funding provided to Enfield by DCMS-sponsored NDPBs.

G4S

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the current level of expenditure by her Department is on contracts with G4S; and how much was spent by her Department on contracts with G4S in each year since 2008.

Hugh Robertson: The sole payment by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to G4S was £320.40 in May 2012.
	The Department does not hold any current contracts with G4S and has not held any other contracts in the period from 2008 to the current time.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she intends to reply to the letter to her dated 14 March 2013 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr Marko Lambert.

Hugh Robertson: We have no record of having received this correspondence. A duplicate has been requested.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she intends to reply to the letter to her dated 22 March 2013 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr Richard Belshaw.

Hugh Robertson: We have no record of having received this correspondence. A duplicate has been requested.

Private Finance Initiative

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which private finance initiative projects under her Department have been refinanced in each year since May 2010; what the value is of each such project; what the refinancing gain has been in each such case; and how much of any such gain the relevant Government body received through a (a) lump sum and (b) reduction in the unitary charge.

Hugh Robertson: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is aware of two projects that have been refinanced since 2010. They are:
	Newcastle City Council Private Finance Initiative, New City Library and High Heaton Community Library—Capital cost £27.8 million.
	Cornwall Council, Penzance Leisure Centre—Capital cost £6.7 million.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Construction: Standards

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects to publish the findings of the Building Standards Review.

Don Foster: The work of the Housing Standards Review working groups has recently been completed. We are currently drafting a consultation document on the options, and will be publishing this soon.

Council Tax: Empty Property

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information his Department holds on the number of councils which have removed the empty homes exemption for council tax; and at what level council tax charges are being levied in each such case.

Brandon Lewis: Since 1 April 2013 council tax empty property exemptions classes A and C were abolished and authorities will have decided what level of council tax to charge. The Department does not hold information on the levels of council tax authorities now charge on empty property.
	These reforms will help get empty homes back into productive use and help keep overall council tax bills down for hardworking families and pensioners.

Council Tax: Students

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will introduce an income or capital limit for eligibility for council tax exemption for full-time students.

Brandon Lewis: The Government have no plans to introduce an income or capital limit for eligibility for council tax exemption for full-time students. The full-time student disregard is a long standing feature of the council tax system.

Fire Services: Private Sector

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what his policy is on enabling fire authorities to contract out their full range of services to a private provider;
	(2)  what his policy is on giving external bodies those emergency powers currently held by firefighters employed by fire authorities;
	(3)  what his policy is on enabling fire authorities to contract out firefighting duties to a private provider.

Brandon Lewis: The last Labour Government introduced the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 which amended the provisions of the Fire Services Act 1947. The 2004 Act provided local fire and rescue authorities with the ability to outsource a wide range of its services in the execution of its functions, and many fire and rescue authorities now use these outsourcing powers. Labour Ministers told the House then:
	'the Bill is not about the wholesale privatisation of the fire and rescue service' (“Fire and Rescue Services Bill Deb”, 24 February 2004, Official Report, column 173).
	In recent months, this red herring has resurfaced, as it has been falsely suggested that this Government are seeking to 'privatise' the fire service. I would like to repeat for the record that such apocalyptic warnings are unfounded.
	We are actually working to support local mutuals and co-operatives, following a bid from Cleveland Fire and Rescue Authority to set up a local employee-led mutual, building on their existing mutualised services. The Labour councillor who is the local authority's chairman has described the claims of privatisation as 'scaremongering' (Darlington and Stockton Times, 12 February 2013).
	More information on the false alarm of 'privatisation' can be found on my Department's website at:
	www.gov.uk/government/news/ministers-respond-to-false-alarm-of-fire-service-privatisation
	There has previously been support from across the political spectrum for co-operatives and mutuals in local government. I note that the Communities and Local Government Select Committee has called on the Government to do more to help support the development of mutuals and co-operatives in local government (“Mutual and co-operative approaches to delivering local services”, HC 112, December 2012).
	Moreover, I observe even Her Majesty's Opposition have proclaimed the virtues of mutuals in local government and new co-operative models of service delivery (“Towards co-operative councils: empowering people to change their lives”, February 2013, Preface; Labour Party, “One Nation: Rebuilding Britain Together”, April 2013, p.14). In that context, I would hope that hon. Members of all political colours seek to support the extension of employee-led mutuals in local government.

Fires: Southwark

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when his Department will publish its written response to the coroner's report into the Lakanal House fire that took place on 3 July 2009 in Southwark.

Brandon Lewis: The Department for Communities and Local Government will respond to the coroner's Rule 43 letter within the required 56 days from the date on which the report was sent on 28 March 2013.

Non-domestic Rates: Valuation

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on applications for a banding reduction review in respect of domestic rating valuation from people who have occupied their property for more than six months; and what the criteria are for such an appeal.

Brandon Lewis: Any taxpayer who believes their council tax banding is incorrect may contact the Valuation Office Agency and seek an informal review at any time. I have recently written to all local authorities reminding them of the statutory duty to include information on council tax bills so that the taxpayer is fully aware of how they can challenge their council tax band. I am placing a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Private Finance Initiative

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which private finance initiative projects under his Department have been refinanced in each year since May 2010; what the value is of each such project; what the refinancing gain has been in each such case; and how much of any such gain the relevant Government body received through a (a) lump sum and (b) reduction in the unitary charge. [Official Report, 21 May 2013, Vol. 563, c. 15MC.]

Brandon Lewis: The following DCLG sponsored private finance initiative projects are reported by their authorities to have been refinanced since May 2010: Derby Housing Non-Housing Revenue Account; Bolton Community Learning Resource Centre; Tyne and Wear Fire Headquarters and Community Fire Stations; and Newham Canning Town Housing Revenue Account. Details of their capital values are held on HM Treasury's current private finance initiative projects list:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/pfi_current_projects_list_march_2012.xls
	The Department does not carry information relating to the refinancing of the projects managed by local authorities. This is because there is no obligation for local authorities to inform Departments in the event of a refinancing.

Temporary Employment

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the (a) total number of unpaid work experience placements and (b) number of agency staff in his Department was in each of the last two years.

Brandon Lewis: The total number of unpaid work experience placements in the Department in each of the last two years is:
	(to end March) 2012 = 0
	(to end March) 2013 = 7.
	Of the seven people in the year to March 2013, three were 14 to 16-year-old school children taking part in a programme for up to five weeks, and four were 18 to 24-year-olds on a work placement of up to eight weeks under the Get Britain Working welfare programme (and receiving payment in the form of continuing, taxpayer-funded state benefits).
	In addition to these figures, over this period, there have been fifteen 14 to 16-year-old school children on two-week work experience placements.
	The total number of agency staff in the Department in each of the last two years is:
	(to end March) 2012 = 14
	(to end March) 2013 = 12.
	Use of such interims for short-term or specialist work can be better value for money than hiring staff on permanent contracts.

Voluntary Organisations: Finance

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the total value of (a) public service contracts and (b) grants that have been awarded by local authorities to voluntary sector organisations in each financial year since 2008-09.

Brandon Lewis: The following table shows estimated expenditure by local authorities in England (£ million) on ‘private contractors and other agencies’ and ‘grants to voluntary bodies’ each year from 2008-09 to 2011-12.
	
		
			 £ million 
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Private contractors and other agencies 22,111 23,049 24,265 22,773 
			 Grants to voluntary bodies 1,693 1,839 1,945 2,627 
		
	
	The figures are based on the Subjective Analysis Returns submitted to DCLG by a
	sample of local authorities.
	Private contractors and other agencies include public service contracts given to professional services, agency staff and others. These figures cannot be broken down to show how much was awarded to voluntary bodies.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Atos Healthcare

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total value of the Medical Services Agreement between his Department and Atos Healthcare was in 2012-13.

Mark Hoban: The total value of the Medical Services Contract in 2012-13 was £108.9 million.

Carer's Allowance

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to uprate income threshold for carer's allowance in light of the forthcoming increase in the minimum wage.

Esther McVey: The Government are aware that the increase in the national minimum wage will tip some carers over the earnings limit for carer's allowance and is in the process of considering whether an increase in the earnings threshold is warranted and affordable.
	However, it should be kept in mind that the earnings limit for carer's allowance is net of tax, national insurance contributions, and certain other allowable expenses, which means that carers can earn significantly more than £100 a week and still get carer's allowance.

Child Maintenance

Robert Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what information his Department holds on the number of occasions on which it has been brought to the attention of the Child Support Agency that a non-resident parent habitually lives in the UK but works and pays tax in another jurisdiction;
	(2)  in how many households with non-resident parents who may be eligible to receive child maintenance support, the non-resident parent habitually lives in the UK but works and receives remuneration, for tax purposes, outwith the UK.

Steve Webb: The information requested is not available, as it is not recorded by the Department for management information purposes.

Child Maintenance

Robert Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if his Department will estimate the amount of money that would be paid to resident parents annually if non-resident parents who habitually live in the UK but who receive remuneration and pay tax in another jurisdiction could be assessed for the purposes of child maintenance payments on the income they earned outwith the UK.

Steve Webb: In the absence of any information regarding how many non-resident parents are habitually resident in the UK for child maintenance purposes but registered abroad for tax purposes, no meaningful estimate can be made.

Child Maintenance

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 15 April 2013, Official Report, column 228W, on children: maintenance, how many of the 510,500 Child Support Agency cases in March 2012 where liabilities were being met in full remained fully compliant over the following (a) six months and (b) 12 months.

Steve Webb: Of the 510,500 Child Support Agency cases that were fully compliant in the quarter to March 2012, 371,600 remained fully compliant in the following six months, up to and including September 2012.
	Latest published figures contain data up to December 2012, so it is not currently possible to determine the number of cases that remained fully compliant in the following 12 months. What we can say is 327,600 of the 510,500 cases remained fully compliant in the nine months up to and including December 2012.
	The next Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary of Statistics is due to be published on 15 May 2013, containing data up to March 2013.

Construction: Protective Clothing

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 18 April 2013, Official Report, column 555W, on Construction (Head Protection) Regulations 1989, what evidence he has received that the wearing of head protection has become largely culturally embedded in the construction sector; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: Since the introduction of the Construction (Head Protection) Regulations 1989 the number of reported fatalities to construction workers from head injuries fell from 42 in 1989-90 to 11 in 2009-10. Industry response to the consultation to revoke the regulations suggested that requirements through site rules to wear head protection as a condition of employment are now widespread. This is supported by the experience of HSE inspectors visiting construction sites that the wearing of head protection is routinely encountered.

Employment Services

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have been asked by his officials to complete the online signature strengths questionnaire; and what the range of results has been.

Mark Hoban: The undertaking of the online signature strengths questionnaire is voluntary, and might be suggested to the claimant by their adviser if they believe they could benefit from this type of self analysis. We have no record of the number of tests completed or access to the results as these are fed directly back to the claimant, and it is the claimant who decides whether to act on these results.

Employment: Sign Language

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department has taken to ensure that deaf people for whom British Sign Language is a language of necessity are able to access employment on an equal basis to other people.

Mark Hoban: Jobcentre Plus advisers use their skills to support customers, including those with disabilities, back to work. The approach is based upon providing personalised support. As part of this, an adviser will provide information about and access to a range of support, helping improve job prospects and helping people overcome their particular barriers to work.
	The Equality Act 2010 places a duty on DWP to provide services that are accessible, available and appropriate to all customers. Our advisers know that face to face interpreting is available where a claimant or customer is deaf or hard of hearing and needs to communicate using British Sign Language or similar communicator support.
	If customers require additional support to find work, they can ask to be referred to a disability employment adviser, who supports customers facing a more complex employment situation, arising primarily from their disability. Access to their services is not dependent on receipt of any benefit. Disability employment advisers know about the provision and services available for disabled people locally, including Work Choice, which is designed to ensure that disabled people with more complex support needs have access to the right support to help them find work or self-employment. Work Choice providers have a duty to ensure their service is accessible to everyone, including BSL users.
	DWP also delivers Access to Work. Access to Work is a specialist disability service to help disabled people take up or retain paid work. The service can fund the costs of a communicator to facilitate a job interview. It can also fund the additional work related costs faced by a disabled person or their employer. This can include the costs of employing an appropriately qualified BSL interpreter.

Housing Benefit

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether calculation of the amounts allocated to local authorities for discretionary housing payments took into account the level of smaller accommodation in the housing stock in each area.

Steve Webb: The methodology used for the distribution of discretionary housing payments can be found in this circular:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/s1-2013.pdf

Housing Benefit

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what methodology was used by his Department to calculate the figure of 14 per cent reduction in housing benefit for one spare bedroom and the maximum 25 per cent reduction for under-occupancy.

Steve Webb: The percentage rates were determined by using a range of data sources to look at rents of different sized lettings in the social rented sector across England, Scotland and Wales. There are variations in the extra rent charged for additional bedrooms in different areas of the country. Initial reduction rates of between 10% and 15% and between 20% and 25% were considered. The final reduction rates took this information into account, as well as ensuring a fair deal for the taxpayer and were set at:
	(a) 14% of the HB claimant's eligible rent where they have one extra bedroom; and
	(b) 25% where the HB claimant has two or more spare bedrooms.
	Sources
	CORE continuous recording of lettings and sales in social housing in England;
	SCORE continuous recording of lettings and sales in social housing in Scotland;
	Welsh administrative data on rents of all tenants in the social rented sector.

Housing Benefit

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions his Department has had with other Government Departments on allocating additional funding for the use of local authorities as a result of the introduction of the under-occupancy penalty.

Steve Webb: Both the local authority associations and the Department for Communities and Local Government were consulted about the methodology used to allocate discretionary housing payment funding between local authorities.

Housing Benefit

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to allocate additional funding if the planned discretionary housing payments funding is insufficient to prevent evictions as a result of the under-occupancy penalty.

Steve Webb: There are no current plans to increase discretionary housing payment funding. There are no indications that evictions will result from the removal of the spare room subsidy. The Department has however commissioned a consortium led by Ipsos MORI to undertake an independent monitoring of the introduction of the removal of the spare room subsidy measures introduced last month. The work will include the effects of the measures on the use of discretionary housing payments funding and evictions. Initial findings will be available in 2014 and the final report in late 2015.

Housing Benefit: Disability

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to adjust the rules on the under-occupancy penalty to take account of the circumstances of disabled persons.

Steve Webb: At present there are no plans to adjust the rules relating to the removal of the spare room subsidy.
	Concerns relating to disabled tenants, including those whose accommodation has been adapted for their needs has been taken into account. Applying a blanket exemption however is not the most effective or affordable approach as this would not take account of a person's circumstances.
	Accordingly, discretionary housing payments are a far better way of dealing with this as it is more flexible and Local decision makers are better placed to make informed judgements about relative priorities and needs and to target limited resources more effectively.
	An extra £25 million has been allocated to the £20 million baseline discretionary housing payment funding to specifically help those who live in specially adapted homes. The baseline funding is however available for other priority groups including those with long-term medical conditions that may create difficulties for those who would normally be expected to share a bedroom.
	People living in social housing will be able to claim housing benefit for an extra bedroom if their disabilities are such that they require a non-resident carer (or team of carers) to stay overnight. This measure will however be monitored and evaluated over a two-year period which commenced in April this year. Initial findings will be available in 2014 and the final report in late 2015.

Housing Benefit: North Lanarkshire

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average change in benefit will be for residents of Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill constituency affected by the under-occupancy penalty.

Steve Webb: This information is not available.
	Estimated changes in benefit for claimants affected by the under-occupancy measure in Great Britain are given in the equality impact assessment at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/eia-social-sector-housing-under-occupation-wr2011.pdf

Housing Benefit: North Lanarkshire

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people with disabilities in Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill constituency will be affected by the introduction of the under-occupancy penalty in housing benefit.

Steve Webb: This information is not available at constituency level.
	Estimated numbers of affected claimants in Great Britain where either the claimant or their partner will be disabled are given in the equality impact assessment at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/eia-social-sector-housing-under-occupation-wr2011.pdf

Housing Benefit: North Lanarkshire

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill constituency who are in full-time employment will be affected by the introduction of the under-occupancy penalty.

Steve Webb: The information requested is not available.

Housing Benefit: Scotland

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what methodology was used by his Department to calculate the amount of £155 million allocated to local authorities in Scotland for discretionary housing payments.

Steve Webb: The total amount of discretionary housing payment funding for Great Britain in 2013-14 is £150 million. Funding has been allocated to local authorities using the methodology set out in the attached circular:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/s1-2013.pdf

Members: Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the hon. Member for Walsall North will receive a reply to his letter of 26 March 2013 concerning a constituent, ref: POS(5)10644/0143.

Esther McVey: I replied to the hon. Member on 3 May 2013.

New Enterprise Allowance

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many jobseeker's allowance claimants have received the new enterprise allowance in (a) the UK and (b) Bassetlaw constituency since the introduction of that scheme.

Mark Hoban: From January 2011 up to and including November 2012 there have been 31,540 starts with a new enterprise allowance (NEA) business mentor and 15,210 starts to the weekly allowance in Great Britain. These figures are based upon official Get Britain Working statistics available via the DWP website:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/pwp/pwp_gbw_feb13.pdf
	We have also published data on the number of NEA mentor starts and weekly allowance starts by parliamentary constituency. This can be found at:
	http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/adhoc_analysis/2013/nea_by_la_jcp_district_parl_c.xls
	The table shows that in Bassetlaw there were 40 NEA mentor starts and 20 NEA weekly allowance starts for the period April 2011 up to and including November 2012.
	Note:
	The numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.

Pay

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will set the salary of Head of News at his Department at £65,000 per annum.

Mark Hoban: The Department for Work and Pensions is currently advertising externally for the specialist role of Head of News. All of our competitions are run strictly under the Civil Service Commissioners Principles of fair and open competition, based on merit. The post has been advertised with a salary commensurate with the significance of the role in order to attract the right calibre of applicant. The final salary would ultimately be dependent on the level of experience of the successful candidate.

Pension Credit

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the take-up rate of pensions credit by those reaching retirement age in each of the last five years.

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) total and (b) each parliamentary constituency are not claiming pension credit.

Steve Webb: The most recent estimates of take-up cover the period 2009-10. Figures for the number of pensioners entitled to but not receiving pension credit in Great Britain from 2007-08 to 2009-10 are presented in the following table; estimates of take-up are not available on a consistent basis for a longer time series.
	
		
			 Caseload take-up for pension credit, Great Britain, 2007-08 to 2009-10 
			  Range of entitled non-recipients (thousand) Take-up ranges (percentage) 
			 2007-08 1,110 : 1,710 61 : 70 
			 2008-09 910 : 1,520 63 : 74 
			 2009-10 1,210 : 1,580 62 : 68 
		
	
	The Income Related Benefits: Estimates of Take-up report covers Great Britain for the financial year 2009-10. It provides caseload and expenditure estimates of take-up for income support and employment and support allowance (income-related), pension credit, housing benefit (including local housing allowance), council tax benefit and jobseeker's allowance (income-based). The latest release updates the statistics previously released on 10 June 2010. The figures are available online and can be found here:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=irb

Pensions: Gender Recognition

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his policy is on pension entitlements for transpeople; whether the Government intend to bring forward amendments on this matter to the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill on Report; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make an assessment of the representations made about pension entitlements for transpeople in paragraphs 9 to 13 of the paper submitted by Helen Belcher to the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Public Bill Committee; whether the Government plan to bring forward amendments to the Bill on pension entitlements on Report; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: The Government said we would carefully consider this issue when it was debated in the Public Bill Committee and will finalise our assessment shortly, which we will make known to the House.

Personal Independence Payment

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the progress made by (a) Atos and (b) Capita in relation to the commitment to engage with organisations representing disabled people in developing training materials in relation to the document entitled DWP Response to the Disability Benefits Consortium report on PIP Assessment Providers.

Esther McVey: Both Atos and Capita have an ongoing programme of regular engagement with organisations representing disabled people discussing many aspects of PIP including the health professional training. These organisations have also developed specific condition insight reports and briefings to inform both providers' training. There will be a continuing programme of professional development for PIP assessors, monitored by the Department, and we expect this level of engagement to continue.

Personal Independence Payment

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the engagement by Atos with organisations representing disabled people in producing its training materials for the assessment of the personal independence payment.

Esther McVey: Atos has an ongoing programme of regular engagement with organisations representing disabled people including discussing the health professional training. These organisations have also developed specific condition insight reports and briefings to inform Atos training. There will be a continuing programme of professional development for Atos assessors, monitored by the Department, and we expect them to continue with this level of engagement.

Personal Independence Payment

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what criteria his Department has used in reviewing Atos training materials for the assessment for the personal independence payment.

Esther McVey: The Department for Work and Pensions has reviewed Atos training materials and is content with them. In doing so the Department has judged the training materials against whether they will equip trainee disability assessors with the competence, knowledge and skills necessary to assess personal independence payment claimants against the assessment criteria, taking into consideration such issues as whether claimants can complete activities reliably.

Sign Language

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his policy is on equality of access for deaf people whose first language is British Sign Language in terms of communicating with (a) benefit officers and Jobcentre Plus staff and (b) his Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: The Equality Act 2010 places a duty on DWP to provide services that are accessible, available and appropriate to all claimants and customers. DWP takes seriously our duties under this Act to provide and make available reasonable adjustments to all our claimants and customers who have specific communication needs. We have in place framework agreements to provide British Sign Language (BSL) or other communicator support to those customers who need it. Guidance on how to access this support is available to our staff via the intranet.
	The Department's non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) are similarly covered by the requirement to provide reasonable adjustments for deaf people. NDPBs are responsible for making their own arrangements.

Sign Language

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department has taken to ensure that deaf people have the opportunity to communicate in British Sign Language with (a) benefit officers and Jobcentre Plus staff and (b) his Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies.

Mark Hoban: All DWP staff undertake diversity and equality learning to raise awareness and help them understand issues faced by disabled customers and claimants, including those who are deaf or hearing impaired. This is supplemented by guidance which includes advice on making reasonable adjustments for disabled people, including deaf people, to ensure they have full access to services. This approach ensures staff are fully equipped to deal effectively with the needs of a diverse claimant or customer base.
	Training packages also stress the importance of signposting customers and claimants to organisations where they can obtain specialist help and support, when required. The learning includes improving accessibility to DWP services by supporting customers and claimants with specific communication needs. There is also practical advice on talking to customers and claimants with hearing impairments, including making arrangements for the use of British Sign Language interpreters.
	The Department's non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) are similarly covered by the requirement to provide reasonable adjustments for deaf people. NDPBs are responsible for making their own arrangements.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will set clear time limits for the new formal reconsideration stage for claimants wishing to appeal; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: The Department has no plans to introduce a statutory time limit to complete mandatory reconsideration. The focus of the new process is on ensuring that claimants receive an explanation of a disputed decision and completing a full re-examination of the decision, whilst allowing claimants to provide additional evidence and information that they think may change the decision. Applying an arbitrary time to complete the process would be counter-productive and could result in additional unnecessary appeals.
	The time it takes for a decision maker to complete a reconsideration will vary from case to case, particularly depending on whether further information is required from the claimant.
	If no further information is required and the case is straightforward, the mandatory reconsideration process could be completed in a relatively short time scale (typically less than a month). However, if further information is required, the law states that we must allow the claimant one month (which can be extended at the decision maker's discretion) in which to provide it, so these cases may take longer to complete.
	The Department is considering how best to manage and monitor the process to avoid unnecessary delays.

Social Security Benefits: Bassetlaw

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) employment and support allowance and (b) incapacity benefit claimants there are in Bassetlaw constituency.

Mark Hoban: Figures on the number of people claiming (a) employment and support allowance and (b) incapacity benefit, by parliamentary constituency can be found at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=tabtool
	Guidance for users is available at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/tabtools/guidance.pdf

Social Security Benefits: Greater London

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of households in each local authority area in London whose weekly income will be reduced by (a) less than £20, (b) between £20 and £39.99, (c) between £40 and £59.99, (d) between £60 and £79.99, (e) between £80 and £99.99 and (f) over £100 through the introduction of the benefit cap.

Mark Hoban: The following table shows for how many households in each local authority area in London, the weekly reduction in benefit will be (a) less than £20, (b) between £20 and £39.99, (c) between £40 and £59.99, (d) between £60 and £79.99, (e) between £80 and £99.99 and (f) over £100 through the introduction of the benefit cap.
	
		
			  Number of households by effect of cap (£ per week reduction in benefit)  
			 Local authority Less than £20 Between £20 to £39.99 Between £40 to £59.99 Between £60 to £79.99 Between £80 to £99.99 £100+ Total number households capped 
			 Barking and Dagenham 200 — — — — 200 700 
			 Barnet 200 100 — — — 300 800 
			 Bexley — — — — — — 200 
			 Brent 500 100 100 200 — 900 2,000 
			 Bromley — — — — — — 300 
			 Camden 200 — — — — 200 600 
			 City of London — — — — — — — 
			 Croydon 200 200 100 — — 200 800 
			 Ealing 200 100 200 100 — 500 1300 
			 Enfield 300 200 100 200 200 600 1600 
			 Greenwich 100 — — — — — 400 
			 Hackney 200 100 — — — 200 800 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 100 — — — — 300 600 
			 Haringey 100 100 — 100 100 300 900 
			 Harrow — — — — — 200 600 
			 Havering — — — — — — 300 
			 Hillingdon — — 100 — — 200 500 
			 Hounslow — — — — — 200 500 
			 Islington 200 — — — — 200 600 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 100 — — — — 200 600 
			 Kingston upon Thames — — — — — — 100 
			 Lambeth — — — — — 200 500 
			 Lewisham 100 100 — — 100 200 600 
			 Merton — — — — — — 200 
			 Newham 200 100 200 100 100 400 1,100 
			 Redbridge 200 — 100 — — 200 700 
		
	
	
		
			 Richmond upon Thames — — — — — — — 
			 Southwark — — — — — — 400 
			 Sutton — — — — — — 200 
			 Tower Hamlets 300 200 200 100 — 500 1,300 
			 Waltham Forest 100 — 100 — — 200 600 
			 Wandsworth 200 — — — — 300 700 
			 Westminster 300 100 — — — 600 1,300 
			 Notes: 1. This table relates to local authorities in Great Britain where at least one household is estimated to be capped in the year 2013-14, when the benefit cap is implemented. 2. The figures relate to the numbers estimated to be impacted at a point in time during 2013-14. 
		
	
	Please note that household numbers are rounded to the nearest 100. Areas with fewer than 100 households affected are denoted by “—”, as additional disclosure control has been applied to these areas. For this reason, figures will not sum to the total number of households affected as estimated in an ad-hoc statistics release in April 2013.
	The benefit cap is being applied through a phased roll-out which commenced on 15 April 2013 in Bromley, Croydon, Enfield and Haringey. It will be introduced at a national level from 15 July 2013. The figures in the table for Bromley, Croydon, Enfield and Haringey are estimates only of the number of households who may be affected in the year 2013-14.
	Also, these estimates assume that the situation of these households will go unchanged, and they will not take any steps to either work enough hours to qualify for working tax credit, renegotiate their rent in situ, or find alternative accommodation. The Department is identifying and writing to all the households who are likely to be affected by the cap and we are offering advice and support through Jobcentre Plus, including, where appropriate, early access to the Work programme before the cap is introduced.

Social Security Benefits: Immigrants

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of any additional amount of benefits to be claimed as a result of any increase in the number of Romanian and Bulgarian nationals expected to migrate to the UK over the next three years.

Mark Hoban: It is not possible to accurately forecast the likely inflow from Romania and Bulgaria once restrictions are lifted, the inflow will depend on a variety of factors. Therefore we are unable to predict the additional cost of benefits.
	From 1 January 2014 Romania and Bulgarian nationals will have the same benefit entitlement as other migrants who are a ‘qualified person’ from the European Union—i.e. they exercise a right to reside as a worker; a self-employed person; a job seeker; a self-sufficient person or a student.
	Contributory benefits, such as contribution based jobseeker’s allowance, are payable to anyone who satisfies the contribution and other conditions for the benefit, regardless of nationality.
	For income-related benefits each claimant must satisfy the habitual residence test before they are eligible to claim means-tested benefits.
	Economically inactive people, who are neither in work or seeking work, are required to be self-sufficient and have comprehensive medical insurance. Similarly students are required to be self-sufficient. Therefore, under domestic legislation economically inactive EEA nationals and their family members cannot claim income-related benefits.

State Retirement Pensions

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of setting the new single tier state pension at (a) £160 per week and (b) £180 per week.

Steve Webb: The following table presents estimates of the additional cost of setting the single-tier pension at £160 or £180 per week, compared to the current state pension system.
	
		
			 £ billion, nominal cash terms 
			  2020 2030 2040 2050 2060 
			 £160 per week 1 8 26 46 60 
			 £180 per week 1 20 73 147 213 
			 Notes: 1. Single tier start levels are presented in 2012-13 earnings terms, consistent with the illustrative start level of £144 per week set out in “The single-tier pension: a simple foundation for saving”. Policy and economic assumptions other than the start rate are consistent with those used in the impact assessment accompanying the Pensions Bill 2013. 2. Additional costs have been calculated using on the Departments Pensim2 model. This is a dynamic micro-simulation model developed to inform analysis of likely future trends in pensioner incomes. The information from this model is then calibrated to provide a more accurate estimate of expenditure. 3. The figures above should only be used as an indication. Please also note that the Pensim2 model is based on a sample of the population so the estimates given above are subject to sampling uncertainty. 4. The estimate for part (b) has been estimated by scaling the results from part (a) and as such should be treated with particular caution. Source: Pensim2 modelling and DWP projections of benefit expenditure

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effects of bringing forward the introduction of the proposed new single tier state pension on women born between April 1951 and April 1953.

Steve Webb: The single-tier pension will be implemented in April 2016. Only individuals who reach their state pension age after implementation will be eligible for a single-tier pension. Therefore, all men and women who reach state pension age before the implementation of single tier, including women born between 6 April 1951 and 5 April 1953, will receive a state pension in line with existing rules. The Government have published an analysis of the state pension outcomes of the cohort of women born between 6 April 1951 and 5 April 1953 on the GOV.uk website.

Universal Credit

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to announce arrangements for the treatment of passported benefits under universal credit.

Mark Hoban: The eligibility criteria for individual passported benefits are the responsibility of the owning Government Departments. Information on passported benefit eligibility for claimants involved in the Universal Credit Pathfinder can be found at:
	www.gov.uk/universalcredit

Universal Credit

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what amount has been paid to service providers involved in the delivery of IT for universal credit since 2011; and what amount he expects to be paid to such providers over the duration of their contracts.

Mark Hoban: I refer the right hon. Gentleman to my answer of 26 November 2012, Official Report, column 154w. Additional spend since that answer up to and including March 2013 amounts to some £87 million. Future payments will reflect the contractual arrangements with suppliers, and will be drawn down as appropriate, within the budget set for universal credit.

Universal Credit

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have claimed universal credit in the pathfinder to date; and what estimate he has made of the total number of new claims for universal credit that will be processed by all the pathfinders.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Thameside will be receiving universal credit by 30 May 2013.

Mark Hoban: The Department is working to guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure we are able to publish statistics that meet high quality standards at the earliest opportunity. We intend to publish Official Statistics on pathfinder areas in autumn 2013 and on nationally implemented universal credit from autumn 2014.
	We expect around 7,000 claims to be processed in pathfinders.

Universal Credit

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 11 May 2011 to the right hon. Member for East Ham, Official Report, column 1246W, on universal credit, whether his expected timescale for the completion of the IT development for universal credit of spring 2013 for live pathfinders and autumn 2013 is on track; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: The IT system to support the initial UC Pathfinder went live on time on 29 April 2013. Plans continue to be developed to support the gradual roll-out from autumn 2013.

Vacancies: Internet

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of jobs advertised on the Universal Jobmatch website were for self-employment in each constituency in the UK since that website was introduced.

Mark Hoban: The information is not available in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Work Programme

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many former incapacity benefit claimants have been helped into employment lasting more than six months as a result of the Work Programme in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) each local authority area in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mark Hoban: Statistics on how many former incapacity benefit claimants have been helped into employment lasting more than six months as a result of the Work programme in (a)the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) each local authority area in the latest period for which figures were published on 10 December 2012, Official Report, column 56W.
	Please note that the next release of the Work programme official statistics on referrals, attachments, job outcome payments and sustainment payments will be on 27 June 2013 covering the period to the end of March 2013. More information can be found at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=news

Work Programme

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 16 April 2013, Official Report, column 713W, on Work Programme, if he will place in the Library copies of the contracts with Work Programme providers in Dundee East constituency.

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 22 April 2013, Official Report, column 713W, on Work Programme, if he will place in the Library copies of the contracts with Work Programme providers in Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 22 April 2013, Official Report, column 713W, on Work Programme, if he will place in the Library copies of the contracts with Work Programme providers in Moray constituency.

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 22 April 2013, Official Report, column 713W, on Work Programme, if he will place in the Library copies of the contracts with Work Programme providers in Angus constituency.

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 22 April 2013, Official Report, column 713W, on Work Programme, if he will place in the Library copies of the contracts with Work Programme providers in Banff and Buchan constituency.

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 22 April 2013, Official Report, column 713W, on Work Programme, if he will place in the Library copies of the contracts with Work Programme providers in Perth and North Perthshire constituency.

Mark Hoban: The contracts for Work programme providers in the Dundee East, Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Moray, Angus, Banff and Buchan, and Perth and North Perthshire constituencies can be found through the following link:
	https://online.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/Common/View%20Notice.aspx?site=1000&lang=en&noticeid=192354&fs=true

Work Programme

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  with reference to the answer of 16 April 2013, Official Report, column 713W, on Work Programme, if he will publish full costings in respect of the operation of the Work Programme in Dundee East constituency;
	(2)  on what date he intends to release financial data below the national level; what consideration will determine the timing of that release; and whether the data will be published by (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) local authority area.

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  with reference to the answer of 22 April 2013, Official Report, column 713W, on Work Programme, if he will publish full costings in respect of the operation of the Work Programme in Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency;
	(2)  on what date he intends to release financial data below the national level; what consideration will determine the timing of that release; and whether the data will be published by (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) local authority area.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  with reference to the answer of 22 April 2013, Official Report, column 713W, on Work Programme, if he will publish full costings in respect of the operation of the Work Programme in Moray constituency;
	(2)  on what date he intends to release financial data below the national level; what consideration will determine the timing of that release; and whether the data will be published by (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) local authority area.

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  with reference to the answer of 22 April 2013, Official Report, column 713W, on Work Programme, if he will publish full costings in respect of the operation of the Work Programme in Angus constituency;
	(2)  on what date he intends to release financial data below the national level; what considerations will determine the timing of that release; and whether the data will be published by (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) local authority area; and if he will make a statement.

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  with reference to the answer of 22 April 2013, Official Report, column 713W, on Work Programme, if he will publish full costings in respect of the operation of the Work Programme in Banff and Buchan constituency;
	(2)  on what date he intends to release financial data below the national level; what considerations will determine the timing of that release; and whether the data will be published by (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) local authority area.

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  with reference to the answer of 22 April 2013, Official Report, column 713W, on Work Programme, if he will publish full costings in respect of the operation of the Work Programme in Perth and North Perthshire constituency;
	(2)  on what date he intends to release financial data below the national level; what considerations will determine the timing of that release; and whether the data will be published by (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) local authority area.

Mark Hoban: The Department will not release financial data below national level while the Work programme contracts are ongoing. The reason for not releasing these data is that it would allow commercial-in-confidence information to be calculated, which puts at risk the Department's ability to procure best value for money contracts in future.

CABINET OFFICE

Conditions of Employment

John Mann: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of people employed on zero-hours contracts in (a) Bassetlaw constituency, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) Nottinghamshire.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated May 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office for the number of people employed on zero-hours contract in (a) Bassetlaw constituency, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) Nottinghamshire (154152).
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles labour market statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS), following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions. Estimates of the number of zero hour contracts are not available from this source. Estimates of the number of people on zero-hours contracts are available from the Labour Force Survey, but due to sample size are not available for areas smaller than regions.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk

Employment: Scotland

Margaret Curran: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of the rate of underemployment in each UK parliamentary constituency in Scotland in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated May 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking for the rate of underemployment in each UK parliamentary constituency in Scotland in each of the last five years (153939).
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles labour market statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS), following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions. Estimates of the underemployment rates for each parliamentary constituency in Scotland are not available from this source as the sample sizes are too small.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk

Fraud

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how much the Taskforce on Fraud, Error and Debt has spent on counter-fraud activities in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what estimate he has made in (a) monetary and (b) other terms of the success of the Taskforce on Fraud, Error and Debt's counter-fraud activities in each of the last five years;
	(3)  how many full-time equivalent staff worked on counter-fraud activities in the Taskforce on Fraud, Error and Debt in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The public purse loses an estimated £37 billion a year as a result of fraud, error and uncollected debt. Before the 2010 general election, all too little was done to address these staggering losses. This Government took action by establishing for the first time ever a cross-departmental taskforce.
	The Taskforce on Fraud, Error and Debt is a group that brings together Ministers and senior officials from across central Government to work collaboratively on solutions to tackle fraud and error, collect debt more effectively, and improve the administration of grants. The taskforce meets to review progress several times a year. It has no specific budget to spend on counter-fraud activities, but instead coordinates activities and initiatives to tackle fraud and error across central Government.
	In 2012-13, Departments engaged with the taskforce saved an estimated £5.9 billion of taxpayers' money. This was mainly through improved tax compliance and through tackling fraud and error in tax credits and benefits, but also implementation of spend recovery audits and better use of data to support a “check first before paying” approach in the Student Loans Company. In 2011-12, the first full year in which the taskforce became operational, savings achieved were £3.5 billion.
	The FED Taskforce does not directly employ any staff; it is supported by a small team in the Cabinet Office. There are currently 19 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff in the Cabinet Office working on debt, fraud and error, and grants efficiency initiatives. The Fraud, Error and Debt team was first established in the Efficiency and Reform Group in the Cabinet Office in 2011-12 with nine FTE staff. In 2012-13 this was increased to 20 FTE staff.

Infant Mortality: Bassetlaw

John Mann: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will publish infant mortality statistics for Bassetlaw constituency for each year since 1987.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking if the Minister for the Cabinet Office will publish infant mortality statistics for Bassetlaw constituency for each year since 1987.
	Due to the sensitive nature of infant deaths and the risk of identifying individuals, ONS does not publish infant mortality figures for individual parliamentary constituencies. Consequently, figures for Bassetlaw constituency cannot be provided.
	Table 1 provides the number of infant deaths in Bassetlaw local authority, for deaths registered between 1987 and 2011 (the latest year available). Bassetlaw parliamentary constituency falls entirely within the boundaries of Bassetlaw local authority.
	Figures for infant mortality in England and Wales are published annually on the ONS website:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/vsob1/child-mortality-statistics--childhood--infant-and-perinatal/index.html
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of infant deaths in Bassetlaw local authority—Deaths registered between 1987 and 2011(1,2) 
			 Registration year Deaths 
			 1987 13 
			 1988 13 
			 1989 6 
			 1990 10 
			 1991 8 
			 1992 2 
			 1993 7 
			 1994 8 
			 1995 5 
			 1996 6 
			 1997 13 
			 1998 6 
			 1999 6 
			 2000 8 
			 2001 11 
			 2002 5 
			 2003 4 
			 2004 10 
			 2005 5 
		
	
	
		
			 2006 7 
			 2007 7 
			 2008 6 
			 2009 6 
			 2010 4 
			 2011 5 
			 (1) Figures for Bassetlaw local authority exclude deaths of non-residents and are based on the boundaries as of February 2013. (2) Figures are based on deaths registered, rather than deaths occurring between the years 1987 and 2011. Further information on registration delays for a range of causes can be found on the ONS website:www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/user-guidance/health-and-life-events/impact-of-registration-delays-on-mortality-statistics/index.html

Job Creation: Worcestershire

Karen Lumley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many private sector jobs have been created in Worcestershire since 2010.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated May 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many private sector jobs have been created in Worcestershire since 2010 (154103).
	Employment statistics for local areas are calculated from the Annual Population Survey (APS). Individuals in the APS are classified to the public or private sector according to their responses to the survey. In the APS the distinction between public and private sector is based on respondents' views about the organisation for which they work. The public sector estimates provided do not correspond to official Public Sector Employment estimates. Those are derived directly from employers and are based on a National Accounts' definition and are not available for areas smaller than regions.
	Information regarding the number of private sector jobs created is not available. As an alternative, estimates of the net change between APS survey estimates for the 12 month periods January 2010 to December 2010 and January 2012 to December 2012 have been provided.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. A guide to the quality of the estimates is given in the table.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			 Number and net change of people employed in the private sector(1) in Worcestershire 
			 12 months ending: Thousand 
			 December 2010 205 
			 December 2012(2) *213 
			 Net change 8 
			 (1) Individuals in the APS are classified to the private sector according to their responses to the survey. (2) Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality. Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5% we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220. Key: * 0 = CV <5%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered precise ** 5 = CV <10%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 = CV <20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV ? 20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes Source: Annual Population Survey

Public Sector: Mutual Societies

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what discussions he has had with trades unions about proposals to spin off elements of the Civil Service as public service mutuals.

Francis Maude: I meet regularly with representatives of trade unions to discuss a range of issues. As part of my Department's transparency programme, details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published on the Cabinet Office website at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/cabinet-office/series/ministers-transparency-publications

Senior Civil Servants: Pensions

Pamela Nash: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when he plans to publish details of the remuneration rates for all those in receipt of civil service pensions who are (a) senior civil servants and (b) paid by non-departmental public bodies at rates in excess of the minimum applicable to the Senior Civil Service.

Chloe Smith: The details requested are not held by the Cabinet Office. Departments, agencies and non-departmental public bodies publish information on the salaries of their senior staff in structure charts that are published every six months on their websites, linked to:
	http://www.data.gov.uk
	Under the current civil service pension scheme anyone in receipt of a civil service pension and employed in the civil service (or any organisation covered by the scheme) has their pension abated. This means that their total pay and pension is limited to the same level of salary that they were earning in the civil service before drawing their pension. Further information on the abatement rules can be found at:
	http://resources.civilservice.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/WhatisabatementFeb2013.pdf

Unemployment: Clwyd

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many (a) women and (b) men in Clwyd South constituency were unemployed in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated May 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many (a) women and (b) men in Clwyd South Constituency were unemployed in each of the last five years (154119).
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions. However, estimates of unemployment for men and women in Clwyd South constituency are not available due to small sample sizes.
	As an alternative, in table 1, we have provided the number and proportion of men and women aged 16 to 64 claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) for March 2013, the latest available period, and for March 2009 to 2012. The counts of people claiming JSA are those who are claiming benefits for unemployment related purposes. At a UK level the total number of JSA claimants is around two thirds of the total unemployment level.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of men and women claiming jobseeker's allowance resident in Clwyd South constituency 
			  Male Female Total 
			  Number Proportion (%) Number Proportion (%) Number Proportion (%) 
			 March 2009 1,340 5.9 396 1.7 1,736 3.8 
			 March 2010 1,380 6.1 469 2.1 1,849 4.1 
			 March 2011 1,063 4.7 451 2.0 1,514 3.4 
			 March 2012 1,178 5.2 550 2.4 1,728 3.8 
			 March 2013 1,188 5.3 556 2.5 1,744 3.9 
			 Source: Jobcentre Plus Administrative System

Unemployment: Coastal Areas

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the unemployment level is in each of the principal seaside towns in England.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated May 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the unemployment level was in each of the principal seaside towns in England (154585).
	The ONS compiles unemployment statistics for local authorities using a model based on the Annual Population Survey (APS) and Claimant Count.
	Estimates of unemployment are not produced for the principal seaside towns in England. Instead we have provided estimates relating to the Local Authorities associated with each of these towns.
	These figures along with a wide range of other labour market data for parliamentary constituencies and local authorities are also published on the Office for National Statistics' Nomis website:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			 Table 1: Unemployment level and rate for people resident in local authorities, January 2012 to December 2012 
			 Principal seaside town Local authority Level (thousand) Rate (percentage) 
			 Bognor Regis Arun 4 4.9 
			 Blackpool Blackpool 6 9.8 
			 Bournemouth Bournemouth 6 6.7 
			 Brighton Brighton and Hove 12 8.2 
			 Whitstable/Herne Bay Canterbury 5 7.1 
			 Falmouth Cornwall 15 5.9 
			 Newquay Cornwall 15 5.9 
			 Penzance Cornwall 15 5.9 
			 St Ives Cornwall 15 5.9 
			 Deal Dover 4 7.7 
			 Sidmouth East Devon 2 3.9 
			 Skegness East Lindsey 5 7.2 
			 Bridlington East Riding of Yorkshire 12 6.9 
			 Eastbourne Eastbourne 4 7.6 
			 Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth 4 9.2 
			 Hastings/Bexhill Hastings 4 10.0 
			 Isle of Wight Isle of Wight 5 6.1 
			 Morecambe and Heysham Lancaster 5 7.5 
			 Ilfracombe North Devon 2 4.5 
			 Weston-super-Mare North Somerset 7 6.3 
			 Whitley Bay North Tyneside 10 9.9 
			 Swanage Purbeck 1 4.4 
			 Scarborough Scarborough 5 8.8 
			 Whitby Scarborough 5 8.8 
			 Burnham-on-Sea Sedgemoor 3 6.7 
			 Southport Sefton 11 8.5 
			 Folkstone/Hythe Shepway 4 7.0 
			 Southend-on-Sea Southend-on-Sea 7 7.9 
			 Dawlish/Teignmouth Teignbridge 3 4.8 
			 Exmouth Teignbridge 3 4.8 
			 Clacton Tendring 5 8.7 
			 Thanet Thanet 6 10.9 
			 Torbay Torbay 5 7.5 
			 Lowestoft Waveney c 8.6 
			 Minehead West Somerset 1 4.8 
			 Weymouth Weymouth and Portland 2 6.1 
			 Worthing Worthing 4 6.6 
			 Source: Model Based Estimates of Unemployment

Unemployment: Tees Valley

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate the Office for National Statistics has made of the proportion of young people who have been unemployed for more than 12 months in each parliamentary constituency within Tees Valley.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office for the proportion of young people who have been unemployed for more than 12 months in each parliamentary constituency within Tees Valley (157074).
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions. However, estimates of unemployment for the requested age band and parliamentary constituencies are not available due to small sample sizes.
	As an alternative, in table 1, we have provided the number and proportion of persons aged 18 to 24 claiming jobseeker's allowance (JSA) for 12 months or more for the requested geographies for March 2013, the latest available period. The counts of people claiming JSA are those who are claiming benefits for unemployment related purposes. At a UK level the total number of JSA claimants is around two thirds of the total unemployment level.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			 Table 1: Number and proportion of people aged 18 to 24 years claiming jobseekers' allowance for 12 months or more, May 2013 
			  Level(1) Proportion (%) 
			 Darlington 185 2.5 
			 Hartlepool 395 4.7 
			 Middlesbrough 480 3.6 
			 Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland 265 3.1 
			 Redcar 290 3.5 
			 Sedgefield 185 2.9 
			 Stockton North 330 3.7 
			 Stockton South 230 2.5 
			 Total 2,370 3.4 
			 (1) Data rounded to nearest 5. Source: Jobcentre Plus Administrative System.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Apprentices

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many employers in (a) Liverpool, Walton constituency, (b) Liverpool and (c) England have received funding for training an apprentice in each of the last three years.

Matthew Hancock: Table 1 shows the number of employer workplaces in Liverpool Walton constituency, Liverpool local education authority and in England that trained apprentices. Final data are shown for the 2009/10 to 2011/12 academic years.
	
		
			 Table 1: Employer workplaces that trained apprentices by geography, 2009/10 to 2011/12 
			  2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 
			 Liverpool Walton constituency 240 370 350 
			 Liverpool local education authority 1,740 2,510 2,920 
			 England total 123,900 171,700 201,900 
			 Notes. 1. The figures are a count of number of individual employer workplaces (site level). 2. Parliamentary constituency and local education authority figures are rounded to the nearest 10, national figures are rounded to the nearest 100. 3. Geographic information is based on the delivery location of the apprenticeship. Note that some employer workplaces deliver apprenticeship in more than one location. Source: Individualised Learner Record

Apprentices

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how much funding for training an apprentice was received in (a) Liverpool, Walton constituency, (b) Liverpool and (c) England in each of the last three years;
	(2)  how many local authorities have received funding to train apprentices in each of the last three years; and how much funding each such local authority has received.

Matthew Hancock: The Skills Funding Agency is responsible for allocating and managing the funding and contracts for apprenticeship provision. I have therefore asked Kim Thorneywork, the chief executive of Skills Funding Agency, to reply directly to the hon. Member and a copy of that letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Apprentices

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeships in (a) Bassetlaw constituency, (b) South Yorkshire, (c) Nottinghamshire and (d) England which were completed in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012 led to a permanent job.

Matthew Hancock: We do not collect data that allow us to answer the specific questions on how many apprenticeships led to a permanent job by sub-region.
	However, we do have relevant data from a survey of apprentices in England (published 15 May 2012) which show that 85% of apprentices who completed their apprenticeship in the last 12 months were employed by an employer at the time of the survey, with a further 4% being self-employed and a further 3% in education.
	We are not able to break these findings down by electoral constituency or by sub-regions (such as South Yorkshire) as the survey is not large enough to do this robustly.
	Information on the number of apprenticeship achievements by parliamentary constituency, local education authority and region are published in a supplementary table to a quarterly Statistical First Release (SFR):
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/60297A67-6111-4D21-B0C1-0FF90B108012/0/March2013_Apprenticeship_Achievements.xls
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/Statistics/fe_data_library/Apprenticeships/

Apprentices

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he has taken to increase the proportion of apprenticeship places for those over 24.

Matthew Hancock: We are committed to boosting apprenticeship opportunities and to improving quality across the programme to better meet employer needs.
	We will continue to support apprenticeships for people of all ages to progress in their careers.
	The National Apprenticeship Service is working closely with businesses, local authorities, colleges and training providers to promote apprenticeships across the country.

Business: Regulation

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference the Queen's Speech on 8 May 2013, what measures relating to (a) apprenticeships and (b) traineeships he intends to introduce as part of the proposed Deregulation Bill.

Matthew Hancock: The Government are seeking an appropriate legislative vehicle within the next Session to implement changes to apprenticeships. Regulatory change will allow the Government to realise their vision for apprenticeships following the Richard review and subsequent consultation on the future of apprenticeships.
	We do not expect to include in the Bill measures specifically relating to traineeships.

Centre on Migration, Policy and Society

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding was granted (a) directly and (b) indirectly by the Economic and Social Research Council to the (i) Centre on Migration, Policy and Society and (ii) Migration Observatory in each of the last four years.

David Willetts: The following funding has been granted by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC):
	
		
			 (i) Direct funding for the Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS), excluding the Migration Observatory 
			  £ 
			 2009-10 1.03 million 
			 2010-11 595,000 
			 2011-12 813,000 
			 2012-13 657,000 
			 Total 3.1 million 
		
	
	
		
			 (ii) Indirect funding for the Migration Observatory 
			  £000 
			 2009-10 n/a 
			 2010-11 189 
			 2011-12 354 
			 2012-13 354 
			 Total 897 
		
	
	All of this funding goes direct to COMPAS.
	The Migration Observatory is an offshoot of COMPAS—essentially its “outreach” and communications arm—as such, some of the staff time funded by ESRC at COMPAS, as well as some of the Centre's communications budget, is used by the Migration Observatory, hence this is described as indirect funding.
	This staffing contribution will vary over time, hence the indirect figures provided should be treated as best estimates based on an approximate percentage of staff time allocated on an annual basis, although the overall figures (i.e. the total funding for COMPAS and the Migration Observatory combined) are accurate.

Higher Education: Admissions

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answer of 25 April 2013, Official Report, columns 1039-40W, on higher education: statistics; how many full-time first degree enrolments for the first year of academic study at university there have been since 2000; and how many of those students went on to (a) qualify and (b) obtain employment within six months of leaving university.

David Willetts: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes data on student enrolments at UK higher education institutions (HEIs), as well as the destinations of graduates six months after qualifying through their Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey. Information tracking individual entrants through to their destinations six months after leaving university is not held centrally. As an alternative the cohort of students for each academic year has been given. The number of full-time first degree entrants, qualifiers and graduate employment activity six months after graduating UK HEIs for the academic years 2000/01 to 2011/12 is provided in the table.
	
		
			 Full-time first degree entrants(1), qualifiers(2) and graduate employment activity six months after qualifying: UK higher education institutions academic years 2000/01 to 2011/12 
			 Academic year Entrants Qualifiers Proportion employed(3)(%) 
			 2000/01 322,610 243,245 n/a 
			 2001/02 339,145 244,120 n/a 
			 2002/03 358,265 250,625 70.7 
			 2003/04 366,750 260,450 71.4 
			 2004/05 366,750 271,345 71.4 
			 2005/06 389,355 278,385 71.8 
			 2006/07 377,400 281,995 72.4 
			 2007/08 394,885 297,235 69.6 
			 2008/09 423,455 296,870 67.1 
			 2009/10 446,660 312,740 70.0 
			 2010/11 447,595 330,715 70.7 
			 2011/12 474,285 350,800 n/a 
			 (1 )Covers students in their first year of study. (2) Covers students gaining a HE qualification in the reporting period 1 August to 31 July. (3) Employed refers to HE leavers employed in full-time, part-time and voluntary work including those in a combination of both work and study. Percentage is given as a proportion of those with known employment circumstance and excludes those who explicitly refused to answer as well as non-respondents to the survey. Note: Numbers are rounded up or down to the nearest multiple of five, so components may not sum to totals. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record and Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) Survey 
		
	
	Other than obtaining a job, there are other positive outcomes six months after graduating higher education such as further study, internships/work experience or travel. Taking these into account the 2010/11 Higher Education Performance Indicators showed that, overall, 90.3% of full-time first degree leavers were in employment or further study six months after graduating. Further information on employment indicators is available from the HESA Performance Indicators publication:
	http://www.hesa.ac.uk/content/view/2072/141/
	Other graduate destinations surveys existed prior to the DLHE survey, but it is not possible to provide employment rates from these on a consistent basis. Information on the destinations of graduates six months after qualifying the academic year 2011/12 will become available from the Higher Education Statistics Agency in June 2013.

Higher Education: Research

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of Medical Research Council funding is donated to research in Welsh universities.

David Willetts: The Medical Research Council spend for the last three financial years is in the following table. 2012-13 data has not yet been reported.
	
		
			  2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Total MRC grant spend (£000) 280,536 291,420 328,934 
			 Total MRC grant spend in Wales (£000) 9,132 8,230 7,590 
			     
			 Percentage of MRC spend in Wales (against MRC total grant spend) 3 3 2 
			 Notes: 1. Data taken from confirmed grant spend published by RCUK Assurance. 2. Figures are exclusively grant spend and do not include capital spend, doctoral training grants, facilities/infrastructure or fellowships.

Higher Education: Research

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of research funding from research councils went to Welsh universities in each of the last three years.

David Willetts: The RCUK spend on research grants in universities for the last three financial years is in the following table. 2012-13 data have not yet been reported.
	
		
			  2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Total grant spend(1) (£000) 1,430,053 1,480,066 1,512,746 
			 Total grant spend(1) in Wales (£000) 45,941 43,537 43,339 
			     
			 Proportion of RCUK grant spend(1) awarded in Wales (percentage) 3.2 2.9 2.9 
			 (1) Figures are exclusively grant spend on research projects only and do not include capital spend, doctoral training grants, facilities/infrastructure or fellowships. Note: Data taken from confirmed grant spend published by RCUK Assurance.

International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what consideration he has given to the merits of the UK resuming its membership of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Vienna; and what assessment he has made of the benefits of UK academics taking up research partnerships at the IIASA.

David Willetts: The UK has no plans to resume membership of the International Institute for Applied System Analysis (IIASA). No assessment has been made of the benefits of UK academics taking up research partnerships at the IIASA.

Minimum Wage

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will estimate the number of people who will earn no more than the national minimum wage over the course of their working lives.

Jo Swinson: Information is not available on the number of people who will earn no more than the national minimum wage over the course of their working lives.
	The Low Pay Commission (LPC) estimated in their 2013 report that at a point in time in April 2012, around 5.3% of all jobs were minimum wage jobs (approximately 1.4 million jobs).
	According to the Office of National Statistics, more than 11 million people moved between employment, unemployment and inactivity in 2012; and even more people remained in employment that moved from job to job. It is therefore very unlikely that there are many individuals who will remain in the same job, paid at the minimum wage for the entirety of their working life.

Prisons: Education

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which educational courses are available to prisoners; what the uptake rate is of each such course; and what proportion of prisoner students see their course through to completion.

Matthew Hancock: I have placed information in the Libraries of the House that shows learning aim titles and the number of enrolments on each by offenders aged 18 or over in the prison system in the 2011/12 academic year.
	In 2011/12, 227,700 learning aims were achieved by offenders aged 18 or over in the prison system.
	These offenders were funded via the Offenders’ Learning and Skills Service (OLASS) budget.

Private Finance Initiative

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which private finance initiative projects under his Department have been refinanced in each year since May 2010; what the value is of each such project; what the refinancing gain has been in each such case; and how much of any such gain the relevant Government body received through a (a) lump sum and (b) reduction in the unitary charge.

Jo Swinson: Our records show that since May 2010 the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has not had any PFI contracts that have been refinanced.

Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on how many occasions powers under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 have been used in each year since it was enacted; and in how many such cases in each year the person under investigation was (a) identified and (b) penalised.

Jo Swinson: The Public Interest Disclosure Act (PIDA) 1998 does not contain any investigatory powers. The Act contains a power to prescribe a list of persons or bodies to whom a whistleblower may make protected disclosure. Any investigation as a result of these disclosures would be a matter for the person or body to whom the disclosure is made. Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunal Service collects data on the number of PIDA cases that go to employment tribunal, but the Government do not hold any statistics on the number of disclosures investigated.

Sign Language

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what his policy is on equality of access for deaf people whose first language is British Sign Language in terms of communicating with (a) businesses and (b) his Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps his Department has taken to ensure that deaf people have the opportunity to communicate in British Sign Language with (a) businesses and (b) his Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies.

Matthew Hancock: The Department complies with its legal obligations under the Equality Act 2010 and ensures all reasonable adjustments are made for people with hearing difficulties to communicate effectively with the Department. We continue to seek opportunities to engage deaf people in creating the conditions for business success, promoting innovation, enterprise and science and giving everyone the skills and opportunities to succeed.
	The Department fully funds British Sign Language (BSL) training courses for young people as a first Level 2 or Level 3 qualification. The Government also fully fund BSL training where it is needed to help unemployed people find work.

Unfair Dismissal

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the operation of the decision to allow employment judges to sit alone in unfair dismissal cases.

Jo Swinson: Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) holds central data on sitting alone days carried out by employment judges for all employment tribunal jurisdictions. It also collects information on the overall number of unfair dismissal claims that were disposed of at hearing.
	For the period April to December 2012 employment judges sat alone on 14,414 days across England, Wales and Scotland including 6,778 unfair dismissal cases.
	The number of judges who have been sitting alone in unfair dismissal cases is not collected centrally by HMCTS. This information can currently be provided only by manually checking hard copy tribunal files or judgments. The Department are exploring with HMCTS how we might collect this information in the future.

Vocational Training

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  when his Department will confirm its final proposals for traineeships;
	(2)  when his Department will publish its response to its consultation on traineeships.

Matthew Hancock: A Framework for Delivery on traineeships was published on 9 May 2013. Copies have been placed in the House Libraries and is available online at:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-young-people-to-develop-the-skills-for-apprenticeships-and-sustainable-employment-framework-for-delivery

JUSTICE

Offenders: Rehabilitation

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when his Department expects to publish an impact assessment for the proposals contained in the consultation paper, “Transforming Rehabilitation”, published in January 2013.

Jeremy Wright: On 9 May, the Ministry of Justice published the response to the “Transforming Rehabilitation consultation—Transforming Rehabilitation: a Strategy for Reform”—and introduced the Offender Rehabilitation Bill, which contains provisions to support our reforms. We have published an impact assessment of the Bill's provisions and further analysis of our proposals is included in the “Transforming Rehabilitation: A Strategy for Reform” document.

Prison Service

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many allegations of criminal activity in the workplace have been made in the Prison Service in each year since 2003, by category of offence;
	(2)  how many times employees of the Prison Service have been charged with criminal activity in the workplace in each year since 2003, by category of offence;
	(3)  how many allegations of criminal activity against employees in the Prison Service were (a) referred and (b) not referred to the police by category of offence in each year since 2003;
	(4)  how many allegations of each category of criminal activity against employees in the Prison Service were (a) referred and (b) not referred to the police in each year since 2003;
	(5)  how many allegations of each category of criminal activity in the workplace have been made in the Prison Service in each year since 2003;
	(6)  how many times employees of the Prison Service have been charged with each category of criminal activity in the workplace in each year since 2003;
	(7)  on how many occasions employees of the Prison Service have been found guilty of each category of criminal activity in the workplace in each year since 2003.

Jeremy Wright: The information requested is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Prisoner Escapes: North East

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners absconded from each prison in the (a) north-east and (b) Yorkshire and Humber region in each year since 2005.

Jeremy Wright: Absconds are at their lowest level for over 10 years. In 2011-12—the last full year when figures were available—there were 179 absconds compared to 782 in 2001-02. To date, over 97% of prisoners who absconded between 1 April 2004 and 31 March 2012 have been re-captured and returned to custody. On re-capture the prisoner will be returned to a closed prison and referred to the police for consideration for prosecution for having been unlawfully at large.
	The following tables provide details of the number of absconds, by financial year and geographic area between 2004-05 and 2011-12, the most recent period for which data are available:
	
		
			 Table 1: Absconds from prisons in the north-east between 2004-05 and 2011-12, by establishment and financial year 
			 Prison 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Acklington(1) 1 — — — — — — n/a 
			 Castington(1) — — — — — — — n/a 
			 Deerbolt — — — — — — — — 
			 Durham — — — — — — — — 
			 Frankland(2) — — — — — — — — 
			 Holme House — — — — — — — — 
			 Kirklevington 4 2 — — 6 — — — 
			 Northumberland(1) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a — 
			 Low Newton — — — — — — — — 
			 (1) HMP Acklington and HMP Castington merged to form HMP Northumberland in2011. (2) HMP Frankland is a high security prison and managed outside of the north-east prison area. There have been no absconds from Frankland. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Absconds from prisons in Yorkshire and Humberside between 2004-05 and 2011-12, by establishment and financial year 
			 Prison 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Askham Grange 12 14 7 11 4 2 1 1 
			 Doncaster — — — — — — — — 
			 Everthorpe — — — — — — — — 
			 Full Sutton(1) — — — — — — — — 
			 Hull — — — — — — — — 
			 Leeds — — — — — — — — 
			 Lindholme 4 — — 1 1 — — — 
			 Moorland 73 49 41 23 35 22 13 7 
			 New Hall 1 — — — — — — — 
			 Northallerton — — — — — — — — 
			 Wakefield(1) — — — — — — — — 
			 Wealstun 74 28 46 32 — — — — 
			 Wetherby — — — — — — — — 
			 Wolds — — — — — — 1 — 
			 (1) HMP Full Sutton and Wakefield are high security prisons and managed outside of the Yorkshire and Humberside prison area. There have been no absconds from these prisons. Note: These figures have been drawn from live administrative data systems which may be amended at any time. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. 
		
	
	Figures for the number of absconds since 1995 are provided in the Prison Digest contained in the Prison and Probation Trusts Performance Statistics. This can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/163299/prison-performance-digest-2011-12.xls.xls

Reoffenders

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what offences were committed by offenders released on licence and classified as high risk during their licence period between 1997 and 2012.

Jeremy Wright: The figures cannot be provided. The information held centrally on prison discharges (which is used to identify those released on licence) does not currently include an assessment of risk.

EDUCATION

Child Minding

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which organisations and individuals are part of the Task and Finish Group for developing a childminder agency framework; how those organisations and individuals were chosen; and whether any organisations and individuals were invited to join that group but declined.

Elizabeth Truss: Our Task and Finish Group is made up of a wide range of representatives from across early education and child care, comprising private nurseries, national representative bodies, local authorities, Ofsted, the voluntary and community sector, children's centres, and childminder networks. These organisations were approached on the basis of their interest and expertise in early education and child care. The group is working with us to consider implementation options for childminder agencies, including possible operating models; to advise on the key requirements to be placed on agencies, with a view to shaping the secondary legislation; to help engage stakeholders and promote sector awareness and engagement in childminder agencies; and to assist in the trialling activity for childminder agencies.
	The group's work, and the trials we are planning, will inform the legislation we are seeking to introduce through the Children and Families Bill, and the regulations that will be subject to parliamentary scrutiny in due course.

Children: Day Care

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the potential effects of his More Great Childcare proposals on (a) childcare cost, (b) childcare quality, (c) the number of childcare places and (d) childcare providers.

Elizabeth Truss: As set out in “More great child care”, our reforms are intended to: raise the status and quality of the work force; free high quality providers to offer more places; improve the regulatory regime; and give more choice to parents.
	These reforms are intended to ensure that high quality providers have the freedom to recruit and retain higher calibre staff, thereby increasing the quality of the provision on offer while enabling providers to bear down on costs to parents.
	More high quality providers will be supported and encouraged to enter the market, including through the creation of new child minder agencies. The increase in the availability of affordable, safe and stimulating care will support more families by enabling more parents to work as they choose.

Children: Day Care

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he intends to publish the analysis of comparative costs and ratios of child care in industrialised countries supplied to his Department by Professor Helen Penn and Professor Eva Lloyd.

Elizabeth Truss: The report on the costs of child care carried out by the Childhood Wellbeing Research Centre will be published in due course with other documents relating to the Childcare Commission. A copy of this report will be placed in the Library upon publication.

Children: Day Care

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the potential effect on female employment of his plans for childcare reforms in More Great Childcare.

Elizabeth Truss: As set out in “More great child care”(1), our reforms are intended to raise the status and quality of the work force; free high quality providers to offer more places; improve the regulatory regime; and give more choice to parents.
	More high quality providers will be supported and encouraged to enter the market, including through the creation of new child minder agencies. The increase in the availability of affordable, safe and stimulating care will support more families by enabling more parents to work as they choose.
	(1)https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/170552/More_20Great_20Childcare_20v2.pdf.pdf

Free School Meals

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of pupils in each free school were eligible for free school meals in each of the last three years.

David Laws: The number of pupils in state-funded schools in England, including the number and proportion of pupils known to be eligible to receive free school meals (FSM), is published as part of the annual “Schools, Pupils and their Characteristics” report. The latest data are for January 2012 and are available on the Government's website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2012
	FSM data collected in the January 2012 School Census have been published at school level including for the first 24 free schools that opened in September 2011. However, information about one school has been suppressed to protect information about individuals. There were no free schools open when the School Census took place in January 2010 or 2011. A table of data for these 24 free schools is attached.
	
		
			 Free schools: Number of pupils eligible for and claiming free school meals(1), January 2012 
			 DfE number School name Local authority Number of pupils(2,3) Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals(2,3) % of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 
			 3172000 Aldborough E-ACT Free School Redbridge 107 26 24.3 
			 8702002 All Saints Junior School Reading 16 0 0.0 
			 2132000 ARK Atwood Primary Academy Westminster 59 20 33.9 
			 2052000 ARK Conway Primary Academy Hammersmith and Fulham 30 4 13.3 
			 3826012 Batley Grammar School Kirklees 522 28 5.4 
			 8014001 Bristol Free School Bristol, City of 84 10 11.9 
			 2112000 Canary Wharf College Tower Hamlets 59 (4)— (4)— 
			 9382002 Discovery New School West Sussex 48 4 8.3 
			 3092011 Eden Primary Haringey 30 0 0.0 
			 3022001 Etz Chaim Jewish Primary School Barnet 32 0 0.0 
			 3804004 Kings Science Academy Bradford 140 33 23.6 
			 8562001 Krishna-Avanti Primary School Leicester 35 3 8.6 
			 8712000 Langley Hall Primary Academy Slough 182 13 7.1 
			 8886018 Maharishi Free School Lancashire 135 11 8.1 
			 8212005 Moorlands Free School Luton 281 0 0.0 
			 3302032 Nishkam Free School Birmingham 179 13 7.3 
			 3802000 Rainbow Primary School Bradford 46 12 26.1 
			 8956010 Sandbach School Cheshire East 1,039 73 7.0 
			 2022000 St Luke's Church of England Primary Camden 16 0 0.0 
			 9354001 Stour Valley Community School Suffolk 185 18 9.7 
			 9262020 The Free School Norwich Norfolk 95 14 14.7 
			 9372000 The Priors School Warwickshire 45 0 0.0 
			 2054000 West London Free School Hammersmith and Fulham 121 28 23.1 
		
	
	
		
			 3082000 Woodpecker Hall Primary Academy Enfield 60 15 25.0 
			 (1) Based on School Census, January 2012. (2) Includes pupils who are sole or dual main registrations. Includes boarders. (3) Pupils who have full-time attendance and are aged 15 or under, or pupils who have part-time attendance and are aged between 5 and 15. (4 )One or two pupils or a percentage based on one or two pupils.

Free School Meals

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of children receive free school meals in each (a) free school and (b) local authority area where a free school has been established.

David Laws: The number of pupils in state-funded schools in England, including the number of pupils known to be eligible to receive free school meals (FSM), is published as part of the annual Statistical First Release ‘Schools, Pupils and their Characteristics’. The latest data are for January 2012 and are available on the Government’s website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2012
	FSM data collected in the January 2012 School Census have been published at school level, including for the first 24 free schools that opened in September 2011. However, information about one school has been suppressed to protect individuals. These 24 schools are located in 22 different local authorities in England. A table of data for these 24 free schools and the relevant local authorities follows:
	
		
			 Free schools: Number of pupils eligible for and claiming free school meals(1), January 2012 
			 DFE number School name Phase No. of pupils(2,3) No. of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals(2,3) % of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 
			 3172000 Aldborough E-ACT Free School Primary 107 26 24.3 
			 8702002 All Saints Junior School Primary 16 0 0.0 
			 2132000 ARK Atwood Primary Academy Primary 59 20 33.9 
			 2052000 ARK Conway Primary Academy Primary 30 4 13.3 
			 3826012 Batley Grammar School Secondary 522 28 5.4 
			 8014001 Bristol Free School Secondary 84 10 11.9 
			 2112000 Canary Wharf College Primary 59 x x 
			 9382002 Discovery New School Primary 48 4 8.3 
			 3092011 Eden Primary Primary 30 0 0.0 
			 3022001 Etz Chaim Jewish Primary School Primary 32 0 0.0 
			 3804004 Kings Science Academy Secondary 140 33 23.6 
			 8562001 Krishna-Avanti Primary School Primary 35 3 8.6 
			 8712000 Langley Hall Primary Academy Primary 182 13 7.1 
			 8886018 Maharishi Free School Primary 135 11 8.1 
			 8212005 Moorlands Free School Primary 281 0 0.0 
			 3302032 Nishkam Free School Primary 179 13 7.3 
			 3802000 Rainbow Primary School Primary 46 12 26.1 
			 8956010 Sandbach School Secondary 1,039 73 7.0 
			 2022000 St Luke's Church of England Primary Primary 16 0 0.0 
			 9354001 Stour Valley Community School Secondary 185 18 9.7 
			 9262020 The Free School Norwich Primary 95 14 14.7 
			 9372000 The Priors School Primary 45 0 0.0 
			 2054000 West London Free School Secondary 121 28 23.1 
			 3082000 Woodpecker Hall Primary Academy Primary 60 15 25.0 
		
	
	
		
			    State-funded primary and maintained nursery(4,5) State-funded secondary(4,6) 
			 DFE number School name Local authority Number on roll No. of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals(2,3) % of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals No. on roll No. of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals(2,3) % of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 
			 3172000 Aldborough E-ACT Free School Redbridge 24,839 5,087 20.5 16,829 3,282 19.5 
			 8702002 All Saints Junior School Reading 10,392 2,136 20.6 5,409 1,009 18.7 
			 2132000 ARK Atwood Primary Academy Westminster 11,140 4,268 38.3 7,698 3,134 40.7 
		
	
	
		
			 2052000 ARK Conway Primary Academy Hammersmith and Fulham 10,291 3,836 37.3 5,865 1,877 32.0 
			 3826012 Batley Grammar School Kirklees 33,941 6,575 19.4 23,874 3,745 15.7 
			 8014001 Bristol Free School Bristol City of 29,652 7,380 24.9 15,608 3,465 22.2 
			 2112000 Canary Wharf College Tower Hamlets 23,737 10,538 44.4 12,633 6,824 54.0 
			 9382002 Discovery New School West Sussex 57,303 6,064 10.6 39,965 3,540 8.9 
			 3092011 Eden Primary Haringey 20,955 6,284 30.0 10,861 3,981 36.7 
			 3022001 Etz Chaim Jewish Primary School Barnet 26,057 5,318 20.4 17,439 3,197 18.3 
			 3804004 Kings Science Academy Bradford 49,497 11,536 23.3 29,169 6,889 23.6 
			 8562001 Krishna-Avanti Primary School Leicester 26,333 6,702 25.5 16,905 4,053 24.0 
			 8712000 Langley Hall Primary Academy Slough 12,874 2,356 18.3 8,248 1,181 14.3 
			 8886018 Maharishi Free School Lancashire 88,462 15,386 17.4 63,283 8,735 13.8 
			 8212005 Moorlands Free School Luton 19,966 4,525 22.7 12,195 2,682 22.0 
			 3302032 Nishkam Free School Birmingham 99,964 34,105 34.1 61,440 20,248 33.0 
			 3802000 Rainbow Primary School Bradford 49,497 11,536 23.3 29,169 6,889 23.6 
			 8956010 Sandbach School Cheshire East 26,176 2,965 11.3 19,481 1,759 9.0 
			 2022000 St Luke's Church of England Primary Camden 11,663 4,392 37.7 7,222 2,701 37.4 
			 9354001 Stour Valley Community School Suffolk 46,464 6,335 13.6 41,474 4,057 9.8 
			 9262020 The Free School Norwich Norfolk 57,202 9,212 16.1 42,674 5,442 12.8 
			 9372000 The Priors School Warwickshire 39,277 4,835 12.3 28,998 2,658 9.2 
			 2054000 West London Free School Hammersmith and Fulham 10,291 3,836 37.3 5,865 1,877 32.0 
			 3082000 Woodpecker Hall Primary Academy Enfield 27,922 8,222 29.4 18,609 4,954 26.6 
			 (1) Based on School Census, January 2012. (2) Includes pupils who are sole or dual main registrations. Includes boarders. (3) Pupils who have full time attendance and are aged 15 or under, or pupils who have part time attendance and are aged between five and 15. (4) Includes middle schools as deemed. (5) Includes primary academies. (6) Includes city technology colleges and secondary academies. x = one or two pupils or a percentage based on one or two pupils.

Free School Meals

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to announce which families in receipt of universal credit will be eligible for free school meals.

David Laws: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of Monday 4 March 2013, Official Report, column 839W.

Free School Meals

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Education for what reasons students attending sixth form colleges are not eligible for free school meals but those students who attend schools with a sixth form are.

David Laws: Students attending school sixth forms are entitled to free school meals because they continue to fall within the definition of “school” and “secondary education” in education legislation. Students attending sixth form colleges do not fall within those definitions and are not entitled to free school meals.
	This is a long-standing issue, which my ministerial colleagues and I have considered in depth over recent months. While we agree that extending free school meal entitlement to all students in further education is desirable, there are not sufficient funds available in the current economic climate for central Government to make it a legal requirement.

GCE A-level

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of (a) girls and (b) boys of each ethnic group achieved A* to E grades in (i) any and (ii) three or more A-levels in each local authority area in each of the last 15 years.

Elizabeth Truss: In January 2010, official statistics covering KS5 attainment by characteristics were reviewed following concerns around the coverage, validity of LA comparisons and the consistency of KS5 characteristics when compared with other key stages. The decision was subsequently taken to discontinue the publication.
	However, the Department's publication “Attainment by young people in England measured using matched administrative data: by age 19 in 2012” contains breakdowns for students achieving Level 3 qualifications by ethnicity, for those in the state sector at academic age 15(1).
	Table 9 within the above publication gives the percentage of young people qualified to Level 3 by age 19 by ethnicity for the 2005-12 cohorts (where Level 3 equates to achievement of two or more A-levels or equivalent qualifications). Table 11 provides similar information for students who had turned 19 by the end of the 2011/12 academic year by the age they achieved Level 3 and ethnicity.
	A-level and equivalent qualification attainment broken down by gender and local authority can be found within the Department's publication “Revised A-level and equivalent examination results in England: academic year 2011 to 20127”(2).
	Table 9a within the “Additional Tables 1” link provides GCE A-level and equivalent results of state-funded students aged 16 to 18 by gender, local authority and region for all schools and FE colleges. Table 9b provides the equivalent data for state-funded school students only.
	(1)https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/attainment-by-young-people-in-england-measured-using-matched-administrative-data-by-age-19-in-2012
	(2)https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/revised-a-level-and-equivalent-examination-results-in-england-academic-year-2011-to-2012

GCSE

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of pupils of each ethnic group achieved (a) five A* to C grades at GCSE including English and mathematics and (b) A* to C grades at GCSE in both English and mathematics but excluding equivalents in each local authority in each of the last 15 years.

David Laws: The Department's Statistical First Release (SFR) ‘GCSE and equivalent attainment by pupil characteristics in England 2011/12’ includes a breakdown of achievements at GCSE and equivalent for pupils at the end of key stage 4 by ethnicity and local authority. The percentages requested in part (a) for the academic years 2007/08 to 2011/12 can be found in Table 3 of the main SFR tables and numbers achieving are given in the publication's underlying data. The publication can be found at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gcse-and-equivalent-attainment-by-pupil-characteristics-in-england
	Final data for 2011/12 have been made available since this publication in January 2013 and have been placed in the House Libraries. Information for earlier years could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The information requested in part (b), the number and percentage of pupils of each ethnic group achieving A* to C grades at GCSE in both English and mathematics but excluding equivalents in each local authority has been placed in the House Libraries for 2011/12. Information for earlier years could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

GCSE: Disadvantaged

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of pupils of each ethnicity who were eligible for free school meals achieved five A* to C grades including English and mathematics excluding equivalents by (a) local authority and (b) ward in each year for which figures are available.

David Laws: I will write to the hon. Member with the information requested. We are currently collating the data and will send it as soon as possible. I will also place a copy of the response in the House Libraries.

Private Finance Initiative

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which private finance initiative projects under his Department have been refinanced in each year since May 2010; what the value is of each such project; what the refinancing gain has been in each such case; and how much of any such gain the relevant Government body received through a (a) lump sum and (b) reduction in the unitary charge.

David Laws: No schools private finance projects in England are known to have been refinanced since May 2010.
	The Department for Education does not hold information about refinancing of private finance contracts held by local authorities. This is because there is no obligation for these authorities to inform the Department in the event of refinancing.

Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012

Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to implement the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 in its procurement procedures; and what guidance he has given to his Department's executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies on implementation of that Act.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department has disseminated guidance issued by Cabinet Office entitled “The Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012—advice for commissioners and procurers”(1) and carried out awareness sessions for all procurement staff in the Department and its agencies.
	(1)https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/79273/Public_Services_Social_Value_Act_2012_PPN.pdf

Schools: Finance

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what total amount was held in contingency funds by publicly-funded secondary and primary schools in the last year for which figures are available.

David Laws: We do not collect information on contingency funds. The closest information we have is school balances for maintained schools which includes details of budget surpluses. All schools should have plans in place on how they will use their balances.
	The available information on total revenue balances as reported by secondary and primary maintained schools in England for the financial year 2011-12 is set out in the following table. This is the latest year for which data are available. Data for 2009-10 and 2010-11 have been included for comparative purposes.
	
		
			  All schools Schools in deficit Schools in surplus 
			  Total number of schools Total revenue balance (£ million) Number of schools in deficit Total deficit (£ million) Number of schools in surplus Total surplus (£ million) 
			 Primary       
			 2009-10 17,088 973.123 1,272 -41.036 15,777 1,014.159 
			 2010-11 17,021 1,136.260 964 -32.131 15,999 1,168.391 
			 2011-12 16,811 1,400.536 673 -21.432 16,075 1,421.968 
			        
			 Secondary       
			 2009-10 3,214 543.312 591 -113.782 2,585 657.094 
			 2010-11 3,129 650.915 457 -105.283 2,608 756.198 
			 2011-12 2,773 723.944 344 -84.109 2,285 808.053 
			 Note: The total number of schools includes schools which are neither in deficit nor in surplus. Source: Section 251 return by local authorities. 
		
	
	The Department does not hold aggregated data on contingency funds or balances held by academies.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much as a proportion of GDP was spent on the armed forces in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13.

Philip Hammond: The Ministry of Defence uses NATO's definition for expenditure on Defence. Figures for expenditure (including expenditure from the Treasury Revenue in respect of Afghanistan) as a percentage of UK gross domestic product (GDP) are compiled and published for calendar years. In 2010 the figure was 2.7%; in 2011 it was 2.6%. The figure for 2012 will be published shortly.

Armed Forces: Compensation

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many individuals are in receipt of payments from the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.

Mark Francois: As at 30 September 2012 (the latest date for which data is available) 14,760 individuals were in receipt of compensation under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.

Armed Forces: Internet

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he plans to take against any individual serving in the armed forces found to have been engaged in internet trolling.

Mark Francois: Internet trolling could involve online humiliation, intimidation, bullying or abuse of individuals or groups of people. Such behaviour is not tolerated in the armed forces and all reported incidents are thoroughly investigated. Where evidence is found, appropriate administrative or disciplinary action is taken.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to ensure that armed forces' recruitment activities are in accordance with Article 38 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and give priority to potential adult recruits over those who are not yet 18 years of age.

Mark Francois: The minimum age for entry into the UK armed forces is 16, which reflects the normal minimum school leaving age. The parents of all recruits aged under 18 years are involved from the outset and throughout the recruiting and training process; parental consent must be specifically obtained before an under 18 can undertake any assessment or selection activity and then again before he/she enlists.
	In an increasingly competitive employment market, the UK will continue to recruit from the widest available talent pool from the age of 16 in order to sustain the required manning levels for its armed forces. However, we are very aware of the differing needs of every age group and we go to great lengths to ensure that their specific needs are met. The armed forces recognise and value individuals from diverse backgrounds who bring fresh ideas, knowledge, experience and talent.
	When the UK endorsed the convention's protocol we also entered an interpretive declaration which stated that ‘the United Kingdom will take all feasible measures to ensure that members of its armed forces who have not attained the age of 18 years do not take part in hostilities’. Ministry of Defence policy explicitly states that under 18s are not to deploy on any operations outside of the UK, except where the operation does not involve personnel becoming engaged in, or exposed to, hostilities.

Armed Forces: Resignations

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers who enlisted (a) aged under 18 years and (b) aged 18 years or above left the Army before completion of their Phase Two training in each financial year since 1999-2000.

Mark Francois: Information on the number of untrained regular soldiers who enlisted in the Army aged under 18 and 18 and above and who left before completion of their Phase Two training since 2007 is shown in the following table:.
	
		
			  Age of soldiers on intake/enlistment who left before completion of Phase Two training 
			 Year of intake (financial year) Under 18 18 and over 
			 2007-08 2,000 2,400 
			 2008-09 1,570 2,210 
			 2009-10 1,480 2,360 
			 2010-11 1,050 1,710 
			 2011-12 930 1,900 
			 2012-13 760 1,520 
			 Notes: 1. The figures are for untrained Regular Army only and therefore exclude Gurkhas, Full Time Reserve Service, Mobilised Reserves, Territorial Army and all other Reserves, but include those personnel that have transferred from the Gurkhas to the Regular Army. 2. Age is on the date of intake. 3.The totals for 2012-13 relate to the period from April 2012 to February 2013. 
		
	
	Information prior to 2007 is not held in the format requested.

Armed Forces: Young People

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many new recruits to the infantry were aged (a) 16, (b) 17 and (c) 18 or above at enlistment in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Mark Francois: Information on the number of untrained regular soldiers enlisted into the infantry aged 16, 17 and 18 and above since April 2007 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Age on intake/enlistment 
			 Year of intake (financial year) 16 17 Over 18 
			 2007-08 740 980 2,700 
			 2008-09 760 850 3,290 
			 2009-10 650 650 3,300 
			 2010-11 610 480 2,240 
			 2011-12 580 690 3,290 
			 2012-13 250 440 2,590 
			 Note: The information is shown in recruiting years, which run from April to March. The figures are for untrained Regular Army only and therefore exclude Gurkhas, Full Time Reserve Service, Mobilised Reserves, Territorial Army and all other Reserves, but include those personnel that have transferred from the Gurkhas to the Regular Army. Age is based on the date of intake.The totals for 2012-13 relate to the period from April 2012 to February 2013. 
		
	
	Information prior to 2007 is not held in the format requested.

Armed Forces: Young People

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of (a) infantry soldiers and (b) non-infantry soldiers were aged 21 years or below in each year since 2001-02.

Mark Francois: The numbers of infantry and non-infantry soldiers aged 21 years or below in each year from 2007 are shown in the following table. Figures prior to 2007 are not held in the format requested.
	
		
			  Infantry—Trained under 22 as percentage of Trained Infantry Non-infantry—Trained under 22 as a percentage of all Trained Non-Infantry 
			 April 2007 27.3 17.3 
			 April 2008 25.6 16.6 
			 April 2009 24.4 16.3 
			 April 2010 24.0 15.5 
			 April 2011 21.1 14.1 
			 April 2012 20.1 12.4 
			 March 2013 19.4 11.7 
			 Notes: 1. Data for April 2013 is not available until 16 May 2013. Data as at 1 March 2013 has been provided. 2. Data is for other ranks only and excludes all Officers and Officer Designates. 3. The figures are for trained Regular Army only and excludes Gurkhas, Full Time Reserve Service, Mobilised Reserves, TA and all other Reserves, but includes those personnel that have transferred from the Gurkha Trained Adult Manpower to UK Trained Adult Personnel.

Army: Length of Service

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average length of service is for a soldier who enlists in the Army (a) aged 18 years or above and (b) below the age of 18 years.

Mark Francois: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 25 April 2013, Official Report, columns 1260-1261W, to the hon. Member for Cambridge (Dr Huppert).

Depleted Uranium

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether alternatives to depleted uranium can be fired to test the propellant charge of CHARM3.

Philip Dunne: The propellant charge for the CHARM3 Round can be tested by firing variants that do not contain depleted uranium, but which will still inform the overall Life Extension Programme (LEP).
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 4 March 2013, Official Report, column 846W, and reiterate that the planned CHARM3 LEP does not involve the firing of depleted uranium.

Military Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Quick Reaction Alert flights from RAF Leuchars have required air-to-air refuelling in each of the last five years.

Andrew Robathan: The number of days on which air-to-air refuelling has been launched to support Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) aircraft from RAF Coningsby and RAF Leuchars was eight in 2012 and nine in 2013 to date. Information for earlier years is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Information relating to air-to-air refuelling for aircraft scrambled from RAF Leuchars is not provided separately. Deterrence is a principal function of QRA and QRA is in turn an integral part of the air defence of the UK. The disclosure of information that might compromise the QRA deterrent capability, would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how long it takes to train an RAF pilot to become an unmanned aerial vehicles specific pilot; and how much such training costs.

Andrew Robathan: The conversion of a qualified Royal Air Force pilot to a combat ready Reaper Remotely Piloted Air System (RPAS) pilot takes approximately six months. As with any flying training programme, the length of time taken to complete it can vary depending on factors such as weather, aircraft availability and student performance.
	The Reaper RPAS conversion course is provided through a foreign military sales agreement. I am therefore withholding information on the cost of training pilots to fly the Reaper RPAS as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice relations between the United Kingdom and another state.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how long an unmanned aerial vehicle pilot is allowed to fly before being required to take a break.

Andrew Robathan: Supervisory measures are in place to ensure effective management of crew fatigue as well as adequate breaks during missions. The frequency of breaks is dictated by factors such as the nature of the flying task, crew experience and competence. The maximum duty period, as for other RAF pilots, is 12 hours.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when a member of the UK Royal Air Force last flew an (a) US unmanned aerial vehicle and (b) UK unmanned aerial vehicle in Iraq.

Andrew Robathan: The last time a member of the RAF flew a US remotely-piloted aerial vehicle in Iraq was in 2007. There were no RAF remotely-piloted aerial vehicles operating in Iraq. However, the Army last flew UK remotely-piloted aerial vehicles in Iraq in 2009.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether a member of the UK Royal Air Force has flown a US (a) armed and (b) unarmed unmanned aerial vehicle in Iraq to date.

Andrew Robathan: RAF personnel flew unarmed and armed US remotely piloted aerial vehicles in Iraq between 2004 and 2007.

War Pensions

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many individuals are in receipt of payments from the War Pensions Scheme.

Mark Francois: As at 31 March 2012 (the latest date for which data are available) a total of 161,535 individuals were in receipt of an ongoing pension awarded under the War Pensions Scheme.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Minerals: Church of England

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what recent discussions the Church of England has had with (a) Government Departments and (b) private sector energy exploration companies on mineral extraction rights on Church land.

Tony Baldry: The Church Commissioners have been carrying out a programme of registering our manorial minerals interest with the Land Registry, prompted by the Land Registration Act 2002. We are on course to register all our interests before the 13 October 2013 deadline.
	A document by the Land Registry can be viewed online at:
	http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/case-studies/church-commissioners-digitise-mapping-database.html
	which provides more information about this project.
	We currently extract some of our minerals interests across a number of locations within our severed and surface portfolio, typically in accordance with the terms of commercial option and leases to third party minerals extractors. The third parties are responsible for seeking planning approval.
	To our knowledge we have had no other direct contact with the Government or other energy exploration companies in relation to our minerals interest. We are however in the process of carrying out a review of our minerals strategy.